Feral Hearts
by Grimmus
Summary: How can two soldiers that are the polar opposites of one another possibly be friends? A tale of a strange relationship that revolves around the happenings of the Arrancar army during the plot of Bleach. NelxGrimm
1. Chapter 1

To any of you that may have read my other stories, I have returned from the dead- and started a fresh. Sorry about that. Please enjoy this story and feel free to leave a review telling me any ideas that I could incorporate into my new story.

Here's just a little something I want to do. Basically, it's going to revolve around the normal plot line of Bleach.. but I'll be focusing on the lives of the Espada (in particular Neliel and Grimmjow). **There are spoilers ahead**, so you've been warned. And I'm holding as true as I can to the plot line, so.. epic yayness and what not.

_Disclaimer; I do not own Bleach or its story line or its characters or blah blah blah. But seriously._

* * *

Neliel walked at a brisk pace down the white halls of Las Noches, her chin pointed high and her posture held in an elegant fashion as the taps of her dainty, sandal clad feet resonated off the sterile white walls around her. Her slim waist and large chest were wrapped up in a modest white uniform that covered the entirety of her body; the only thing unkempt about her was the mane of wild, green hair that cascaded down her back and to her waist. Neliel was secretively very proud of her unique hair, percieving it as one of her prominent features, alongside her pink facial tattoo and hazel gold eyes.

She was in a hurry. Master Aizen had called for a gathering of the Espada to witness the birth of what Aizen had referred to as a "very savage Arrancar". Neliel hadn't witnessed the birth of any Arrancar yet, and to be honest she was quite excited. The fact that she had been especially asked for by Aizen himself sent her reeling with curiosity, and thus had decided to leave her room early and walk to the hall as opposed to using sonido and getting there in seconds. Walking took her mind off of things, and that is exactly what Neliel needed right now, as she concentrated on the movements of her delicate feet across the grey tiled floors of Las Noches.

A dark reiatsu suddenly exploded from behind Neliel, making the hairs on the back of her neck bristle and goosebumps appear on her conviniently covered arms. She could feel the tiny, purple pupils boring into the back of her neck, and already she could picture the sneer that consisted of blindingly white teeth on the face that she detested most. Bringing her step to a halt, she turned slowly, her eyes dropping in a nonchalant fashion.

"Nnoitra." Neliel inclined calmly, looking up at the much taller man who loomed over her smaller figure with an obvious formidabilty about his posture.

"Neliel." he replied smugly, looking her up and down in a leering and perverted gesture, attempting to make Neliel feel uncomfortable. Of course, this was their usual routine; Nnoitra would go out of his way to seek Neliel out and antagonise her in every way possible, to which she would either ignore him completely or sonido away, also ignoring him completely. The silence between the two extended to the point where it was becoming awkward; usually Nnoitra would continue taunting her, and Neliel found with a pang of irony that she preferred his constant taunts to his unnerving silence.

Neliel looked up at Nnoitra briefly, and quickly sighed in disgust as she saw his gaze fixated in a hypnotic stare upon her breasts.

"Nnoitra." Neliel said calmly, but with a sudden edge to her voice. As if snapping out of a trance, Nnoitra looked up, his eyes narrowing to slits as he replicated the same seething anger that the Tercera Espada beheld on her face.

"I would prefer it," Neliel began, "if you did not sexually harrass me so obviously in the company of others." Nnoitra looked up slowly to spot a group of Arrancar hovering around a nearby doorway, watching the conflicting tension with unsuppressed curiosity.

"What do you think you're lookin' at?" Nnoitra drawled in a deadly tone, his hand tightening threateningly on the hilt of his sword. The Arrancar, sensing their near death, scattered in a split second, leaving not a trace of life behind. Looking back to where Neliel was standing, Nnoitra glared in annoyance as he saw that the Espada had already continued on her way down the hall. With a burst of reiatsu, Nnoitra appeared in front of her, halting her journey a second time.

Neliel took in a deep breath, before exhaling patiently, and looked back to Nnoitra. "You aren't usually so annoying, Nnoitra." she said coldly. "What do you want?"

A grin crept across his face at the sound of Neliel's exasperation. "You ain't usually this talkative, Neliel. Could something be bothering ya?"

"I don't have time for this today, Nnoitra. Move now, or I'll pluck that perverted eye of yours out of your head." Neliel snapped in reply, moving to push past the Octava Espada. An iron grip grasped her left arm, dragging Neliel back. Scandalized, she whipped her head around, her hair flying out behind her as she reached for her sword.

"You dare?" she hissed, staring into the eyes of her antagoniser, her insides recoiling in disgust as Nnoitra drew her face ever closer to his, his other hand coming up to grab her face in a tight, vice- like grip.

"Don't go parading around so high up in the clouds, princess." he spat, menice flashing in his vivid eyes, "Should something go wrong and you just happen to slip.." he trailed off, his grin fading, replaced by a look of pure murder. Neliel's breath froze as Nnoitra's hand slid down her face, his finger tracing her clavicle lightly..

And then she was suffocating.

Neliel gritted her teeth as Nnoitra's hand clamped in a death like vice around her neck, the blood in her veins pumping madly as she felt adrenaline coursing throughout her body. Snapping from her normally refined facade, Neliel swung her free right arm out in a movement so fast that it blurred even to the trained eye. The punch connected with Nnoitra's jaw, and a sickening crack echoed down the hall before he was flung into the wall, the crash resonating powerfully throughout the building. Chest heaving slightly from the chaos of emotions her mind was pulled through, Neliel straightened her back, before walking toward the rubble in which the leecherous Espada had been flung into. Her hand dove in amongst the ruins, pulling Nnoitra out by the hair until his face looked up into her own. His jaw had been dislocated, and the black blood poured from his mouth and his nose as his half closed eyes focused on Neliel's own.

"If you ever touch me again," Neliel hissed, fury seeping like acid into her voice, "I will end you." She pulled Nnoitra's hair until it started to come out of his head, listening with savage glee as he grimaced in pain, his teeth bared in agony as he glared up at her. Dropping his dislocated face and hearing it smack to the floor, Neliel straightened her shoulders again, and turned to walk away.

"You dead fuck." Nnoitra raised his head to look at the frozen back of the Tercera, whose calm facade was still fragile from the burst of rage she had unleashed. "No matter how hard you pretend to act otherwise, you're just like the rest of us. An absolute monster." He laughed bitterly, before choking on his own blood. After a his coughing fit died down, Nnoitra looked to where Neliel had been standing.

She was gone.

* * *

The room was dark, the only source of light coming from the Hogyoku, which was emmitting a calm, blue aura. Neliel had long ago forgotten the conflict that had occurred between her and Nnoitra, and she could make out his shadow on the other side of the room, where she could feel him glaring daggers at her. The shadows of all the other Espada hovered around the room, though Neliel could make out her former master, Barragan, much more easily than the others due to his immense throne and army of Fraccion. She was quite afraid to approach the old man; he was one of the most powerful Vasto Lordes she had ever come into contact with, and recently he had gone through a couple of major upsets.

First, there was Aizen, who had come in and conquered Barragan's kingdom by force, digracing the former king by having him become one of the ten swords. Initially Barragan had been the Primera Espada, but then Stark and Lilinette had come into being. The two had proved themselves as worthier warriors than the former king and took his place as the Primera, disgracing the king even furthur. Barragan was hardly approachable these days; if anyone had the misfortune of running into him on the grounds of Las Noches, it meant a certain, slow and torturous death.

The order of Espada had run smoothly for at least a month or so now; 1st Espada Stark and Lilinette, 2nd Espada Barragan, 3rd Espada Neliel, 4th Espada Ulquiorra, 5th Espada Dordonii, 6th Espada Cirucci, 7th Espada Gantenbainne, 8th Espada Nnoitra, 9th Espada Teresa and 10th Espada Aaroniero. Recently the 9th Espada, Teresa, had gone on a mission into the deserts of Las Noches in order to find more powerful Arrancar to bring back for the army. Instead, an armoured panther with piercing, blue eyes brought her back in the form of a tattered corpse, which both pleased and disturbed Aizen at the same time.

Said panther was now pacing uneasily within the glass barrier that Aizen had set up for the transformation. Neliel felt a pang of pity for the creature as it became more and more claustrophobic within the box, its ears flattened to its skull in anger as its tail twitched with irritation. However, the panther had killed an Espada, and the necassary precautions were being made to keep the feral beast contained.

A loud click resonated through the deathly quiet room, and all the Espada looked up expectantly. The large, white doors rolled open slowly, and in walked Aizen, flanked by his subordinates Gin and Tousen. "Good evening, my dear Arrancar," he began, his calm voice both powerful and intimidating, "I am sorry to have made you wait."

Aizen walked over to the glass barrier and placed the Hogyoku in the box on top of it. The panther watched warily, and began to hiss when Aizen stepped back to look at it. Aizen raised an eyebrow. "Well, you've certainly got some fighting spirit in you." he commented nonchalantly before he raised his index finger to the Hogyoku and touched it. A loud, crackling sound exploded through the room, and Neliel watched with wide eyes as the panther began to transform. Paws turned into hands, hind legs transformed into limbs, and slowly the panther began to transform into an Arrancar. After about a minute, the crackling stopped, and the Arrancar looked around the room warily, and went to stand up.

Then the screaming started. Neliel closed her eyes as she felt true pity for the creature, who would at this time be experiencing a pain like no other. The thing with becoming an Arrancar was that it wasn't just a magical puff and a more powerful being appeared. When one was given power, they must give something back in return. Neliel thought briefly of her Hollow hole and shuddered once, listening to the screams that echoed throughout the room.

Finally, it was quiet. Fog settled around the room, and the naked being slowly got to its feet, trembling. When the fog cleared, Neliel's eyes widened a little at the strange Arrancar before her.

The first thing that stood out to her about him was his _hair. _Electric. Blue. Hair. Looking down at his legs, she stifled a smirk when she realised that he was an _a la naturale _blue. Then there were his eyes. They were a striking blue that pierced through everything that they saw, shifting quickly around the room and taking in all the other Espada. Those eyes met Neliel's own briefly, and she felt her pulse quicken as he continued to stare at her. Finally, he looked away, and Neliel let out a breath she didn't realise she had been holding. She continued to observe him shamlessly; he had been created with tattoos that decorated the corners of his eyes that matched his blue eye colour, and a strong, handsome face, which was half obscured by an odd jaw fragment of his hollow mask. Every inch of his body was lithe and well muscled, as was expected of an Arrancar that had previously spent its life in the deserts of Hueco Mundo struggling to survive. Neliel's eyes rested on his stomach, and felt sick for the Arrancar. A dark, black gaping hole had been made in the middle of his stomach, black blood still framing the outside of it from the fresh wound.

Aizen stood before the Arrancar, watching as he observed his human hands. "What is your name?" he asked simply and calmly. The power in his voice caught the Arrancar's attention as he looked up quickly. He considered Aizen for a moment, becoming defensive and wary.

"That depends. Are ya powerful?" the Arrancar drawled slowly, his deep voice filled with a sense of feral power. Aizen smirked briefly. "Am I?" he returned in response, looking quietly at the Arrancar. The Arrancar narrowed his eyes momentarily, and Neliel held her breath and bit her bottom lip as a tense moment passed. Then, he bared his teeth in a savage grin.

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez."

* * *

There, just to get the ball rolling. Feel free to leave a review, and hopefully you enjoyed reading!

Thanks :)

**~Gracie**

**4/4/10**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

is here! I just wanted to thank those of you who were kind enough to take a dive and read my story, and by the sounds of it you enjoyed it immensely! Hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter also; I've just been working on it throughout the day and making sure that it doesn't degenerate into a crap fanfic. That would make both you and me cry.

_Disclaimer; I do not own Bleach. _

**There are spoilers. **So yeah. Probably shouldn't be reading this is you don't know what an Arrancar is. I'm just saying. (Ray William Johnson fan hahaha)

**Enjoy!**

* * *

It was night time in Las Noches. The sky resembled that of midnight blue velvet, covering the dome of the great, white building and casting the land it beheld into darkness. There were no stars or clouds; the only object that illuminated the impossible black of the sky was the moon of Hueco Mundo. The moon held some kind of unnatural and raw power, for even though the dome of Las Noches was quite opaque, the moon could somehow always be seen as clearly in the dome's night sky as it could be in the desert, even if Aizen Souseke did not wish it. Neliel had always found it fascinating to observe the moon's absurd power shining into the eternal night, but tonight she did not spare a shred of thought for it.

_Tap tap, tap tap, tap tap._

_Pad pad, pad pad, pad pad._

Her sandals kept a continuous rhythm as she crossed the desert courtyard into the northern sector of the Las Noches quarters.

_Tap tap, tap tap, tap tap._

_Pad pad, pad pad, pad pad._

Neliel's pulse was beating at a higher speed than normal, and she quickly swallowed, anxiety and nervousness making her breath come a little faster than it usually did. Her thoughts wandered to the encouter between herself and Aizen Sousuke after the Espada had dispersed from the meeting hall..

* * *

_"Neliel." The girl in question was caught off guard as her previous daydream dissolved into reality. She turned her head abruptly, meeting Aizen's impenetrable stare._

_"Yes, Master Aizen?" The man stood before her, his brown, watchful eyes carefully considering her own._

_"I want you to do something for me." It wasn't a question or a suggestion; it was a fact, and Neliel recognised this instantly as she inclined her head respectively._

_"Of course."_

_"I want you to train the new Number 9 Espada, and teach him the ways in which we operate. He should understand that some things are more intolerable than others." he stated, and Neliel's eyes widened slightly. Aizen considered her reaction._

_"You seem alarmed, Neliel." he commented nonchalantly, "Perhaps you feel some sort of resentment towards our new comrade?"_

_Neliel bowed her head submissively as she carefully considered her answer. "I would not say that, Master Aizen, so much as I would say that it is honourable that you consider me worthy enough to train a fellow Espada. But I am unsure as to whether I will be appropriate for the job, as I try to avoid.. unecassary conflict."_

_Aizen's lips curled into a small smile. "And that is precisely why I have chosen you for the job, Neliel. Among all the Espada, you have proven to me your excellent technique in fighting skills. You have a calm, level head whilst fighting, and I believe that you would make an excellent teacher. Of course," Aizen continued, looking into Neliel's eyes with a deeper intensity, "if you should feel in any way that this job is too much for you, then I will gladly have Ulquiorra take the task instead."_

_Neliel flushed instantly, slightly mortified by the fact that Aizen doubted her faith in his judgement. She looked at Aizen with firm determination._

_"I will gladly accept the task."_

_Aizen smiled, and nodded his head once._

_"Good. Begin tomorrow."_

* * *

"Yo."

Neliel's stomach seemed to leap into her mouth a little as she twitched in suprise, her eyes widening from the unexpected shattering of silence and her train of thought. She came to an abrupt stop, turning around to meet the eyes of her accomplice. His impossibly sharp, blue eyes meet her soft golden ones without hesitation, and Neliel was intruiged to see a look of boredom on his face.

"Yes, Mister Jaegerjacquez?"

The Arrancar cocked an eyebrow at usage of his last name, but after a split second he decided to let it slide.

"Where're we going?" he asked flatly, his gaze lifting from Neliel's own to observe the dark surroundings of the night around them. Desert sand shifted slowly around the several white buildings outside of the main structure of Las Noches, though there was no wind to move the billions of sand grains. The path that the two Arrancar had been walking on was somehow kept immaculately spotless of any sand, and the white tiles were reflected in the moon light, turning the pathway into a glowing trail. About 100 metres in front of the two lay a large tower. Neliel stared at the tall, white construction before them and exhaled slightly.

"To your new living quarters."

Grimmjow's eyes widened briefly, before he let out a snort.

"You're shittin' me. That huge thing?"

Neliel's eyes lowered to the ground, observing the glowing trail at their feet.

"Well, obviously you will not be the only one living here. You'll be sharing this northern sector with two other Espada and their Fraccion."

Confusion spread across the male Arrancar's face.

"Fraccion? What's that?" A small smile played across Neliel's face as she recalled a fond memory. Grimmjow stared at the woman, who had zoned out completely, with irritation, and cleared his throat.

"Oi. What's a Fraccion?"

Neliel looked up at Grimmjow, only to quickly look away again when she met his icy stare, the smile fading from her face as she fumbled for her words.

"Oh. Uh.. Fraccion are part of the Numerous who directly serve an Espada personally. Of course," she continued, "it is an Espada's choice in whether to have Fraccion or not. But should Master Aizen think that we are abusing our Fraccion, he will take away our right to have them indefinitely."

"Oh?" Grimmjow replied vaguely, looking out at the white sand with a somewhat distant expression on his face.

Neliel looked at the Arrancar curiously as she briefly wondered what he could be pondering.

"The Number 10 Espada, Aaroniero, kept.. devouring his Fraccion, to the point where every single Arrancar in Las Noches refused to go near him." Neliel added thoughtfully, her mind going off in another place. The two continued to walk on in silence.

"Do you have any Arrancar in mind for Fraccion?" Neliel asked, watching Grimmjow's face as it froze up a little, defensiveness flashing briefly across his features. The Arrancar disregarded her comment entirely by asking another question.

"Where do all the other Espada live?"

Neliel felt a brief bout of annoyance, which faded as the urge to defend herself was overpowered by the urge to provide knowledge to the seemingly oblivious Arrancar.

"The Espada are divided into four groups for living arrangements. Did you notice that there are four main towers that outline the structure of Las Noches?"

"I did."

"Well then," Neliel said, brushing a strand of wild, green hair out of her face, "that's where the Espada live; in those four towers. If any intruders should arrive in Hueco Mundo and approach either the North, South, East or Western sectors of Las Noches, the Espada living in those towers usually receive orders to dispatch of them immediately, unless ordered otherwise. Basically," she said, turning to look at Grimmjow, "it's set up so that intrusion into Master Aizen's kingdom is impossible."

The Arrancar fell quiet as he unconciously scratched the back of his head, before turning to Neliel, his face completely devoid of any emotion as he asked, "Who would try to invade this place?"

Neliel lowered her golden eyes to the glowing pavement below as she recounted the many, bloody battles she had once fought to defend Las Noches with an overwhelming sadness. The waste of life, the many soldiers that had been sent to their deaths only to have two or three return.. A brief image flashed in her mind as she stared at her arms, covered in black blood and shattered mask fragments, her howls piercing the infinite night of Hueco Mundo as tears ran down her cheeks, the carnage of what she had created laying around her in ruins..

"Many have tried. Few have lived to tell the tale."

Grimmjow, sensing that he had trodden on unchartered territory with the green- haired girl, said nothing more as the pair arrived at the tall, white doors that stood as an entrance to the building. Neliel lifted her hand and twitched one finger; the doors moved open in a swift, smooth movement, revealing the inside of the tower.

"This is the ground floor, where we are given the option to train. Each tower has one." Neliel indicated with her hand to the large, open space that was covered in sand. "Master Aizen has instructed me to tutor you in all aspects of fighting techniques from now on." Out of the corner of her eye, Neliel saw Grimmjow's eyes glaze over with what appeared to be some sort of wild excitment.

"When do we start?" he asked, turning to meet Neliel's stare. She looked down at her feet, displeasure clouding her tone.

"Master Aizen said that I could use any means necassary in your training. We will begin tomorrow." she replied calmly, before proceeding towards a set of stairs. "There are six levels in this tower; the training room, the kitchen, the showers, Number 9 living quarters, Number 6 living quarters and Number 3 living quarters. We keep our Fraccion in our own living quarters to avoid any conflicting problems they may have with each other."

The two continued up the white staircase in silence, and Neliel's stomach began to clench in anxiety and distress. Finally, the duo arrived on the third floor, and Neliel looked at the white door inscribed with a gothic 9 with a pang of sadness. "Here you are, Number 9. Your new rank and room." she said stiffly as she backed away from the male Arrancar.

He must have noticed her sudden change in attitude, because Grimmjow looked at Nel blankly. "You don't like that I'm here."

An awkward moment passed between the two in which neither said anything, until Neliel looked away from him, her eyebrows furrowed.

"I would be lying if I said I was thrilled."

Grimmjow considered her reply for a moment before staring up at the door thoughtfully. "You were her friend, weren't you? The Espada that I killed."

Neliel's back stiffened defensively as she stepped farther away from Grimmjow, her stomach turning over and making her insides feel queasy.

"I will see you in the morning." With that, Neliel disappeared with a smooth flow of reiatsu, leaving Grimmjow standing at the door with a blank look on his face. After being left in silence for a moment, the Arrancar bent his neck to the side, cracking the bones in it and sighing.

"My only reason to live is to climb to the top, woman. Even if it means knocking every damn Arrancar off the face of this desert." he muttered quietly, before entering his room.

* * *

"N-N-N-N-NEEEEEEEEELLLLLLL!!!!!!"

"We missed you, don'tcha know??!!"

"I thought I would die from the loneliness!!"

"Wha-a-a-at?! But I was here too, don'tcha know!!"

"Nothing can replace the void in my heart when my Nel is gone!"

"You're too cruel, don'tcha know!"

Neliel stood in the doorway of her room and stifled a smirk. Her two dear Fraccion, Pesche Guatiche and Dondochakka Bilstin, were already wrapped around her body, crying melodramatic tears as they squawked and raved at each other with energy unlike any Neliel had ever seen.

"Hey now.." she began, before faltering as she looked into her Fraccion's suddenly serious eyes.

"Are you alright?" Pesche asked softly as he detangled himself from Neliel's body.

"We were worried, don'tcha know?" added Dondochakka thoughtfully as he stood beside Pesche. The concern that her two Fraccion showed her made Neliel's eyes well up suddenly, and her bottom lip trembled.

"I.." A tear ran down her cheek as her face crumpled.

Her two Fraccion looked in alarm as they scrambled to Neliel's side.

"Nelll! Don't cry, or we will too, don'tcha know!!"

"See, I can already feel the tears running down my face! Bwaaah!"

"Aaacckk! You're spraying snot everywhere, don'tcha know!!!"

Neliel hiccuped once, and smiled through her tears at her two frantic friends.

"I'm sorry," she began, wiping her eyes on the back of her sleeves, "but today was too much."

The three of them sat down on the big, white bed near the window as Neliel tugged her sandals off. She told Pesche and Dondochakka about her run in with Nnoitra, and how his threats had made her uneasy and on edge all day.

"But you punched him right in the face! Right in the face! You go, Nel!"

"We'll protect you from that leecherous creep, don'tcha know!"

Neliel's eyes widened as she squawked at her friends. "You won't be going anywhere near him without me, you hear?! I'll stomp on your face if you do! You're not even listening to my threats, are you.."

The three of them dissolved into a nonsensiqual arguement that ended in Pesche bursting into tears and snot all over both Dondochakka and Neliel. After that catastrophe had passed and Neliel had cleaned all the snot off of her face, she looked seriously at her friends again.

"I have to begin training the new Number 9 tomorrow." she said, before falling back into her pillows sighing.

"Ah.."

"That's a bit cruel of Aizen, don'tcha know?"

Neliel looked up at the white ceiling of her room. "It's my job now. I simply have to carry it out. That's all."

Pesche and Dondochakka looked at each other thoughtfully. Finally, they turned to Neliel.

"Aizen knows an awful lot, don'tcha know?

"I'd say there wasn't a thing he didn't know. At least, around here that is."

"Why don't you ask him to get someone else to do it?"

Neliel sat bolt up right in the bed, her eyes wide.

"No! Don't even suggest that!" Her Fraccion flinched at her sudden panic, and Neliel took a breath to steady herself. "It's just that.. I can't let myself be seen as weak. If people think I'm too weak to handle my job.." she thought of Nnoitra, and shuddered. "I know it's a bit vague, but please try to understand, okay?"

They both sighed.

"Okay."

"Only if you promise to be safe, don'tcha know!"

Neliel grinned. "Of course I'll be safe. I'll have you two by my side, won't I?"

"Baaaawww!!! Nel is the bestest person in the world!!!

"Nel is the bestest person in the UNIVERSE, don'tcha know!!"

* * *

The moon of Hueco Mundo shone into the 9th Espada's room, illuminating the figure that leaned casually against the window sill whilst over looking the desert.

"So this is the view of Hueco Mundo from up high." thought Grimmjow briefly, as his window overlooked the desert outside of Las Noches. Glancing upwards, he saw a light shining from the Third Espada's room, and a blank look crossed his face.

"So I'm going to learn how to fight from a woman, huh? Che. Don't make me laugh." he muttered, leaning his head against the wall.

"You say that like it's a bad thing, no?" drawled a sarcastic, feminine voice from the dark doorway. Grimmjow's blue eyes slid across slowly to the door frame, where a slim figure clad in a lolita styled uniform leaned against the doorway, a gloved hand resting delicately on her waist.

"Who're you?" asked Grimmjow in a disinterested tone as the female made her way over to the window. The light illuminated her face as she stood next to him, looking out at the desert below.

"Nice view." she commented briefly, before looking at Grimmjow and smirking. "Not as nice as mine, though."

"I asked who you were, not if you could look out my window and comment on it, dumbass."

The woman frowned instantly, glaring at Grimmjow. Her dark, purple hair was arranged into two pony tails on either side of her head, the rest of her wavy hair falling down to her shoulders. She had stunning, purple eyes with matching purple lips, and two, purple tear drop marks framed each of her upper cheeks. The remains of her Hollow mask resembled a spiked hairpin in her hair, and her white uniform clung to her petite girlish frame in a flattering way.

"Cirucci Sanderwicci. 6th Espada. And yes; I'm much more superior than you are."

Grimmjow glared at the woman seethingly as she made her way back to the door, a smirk on her face.

"I wouldn't say that learning from a woman is a bad thing." She paused, looking out the window rather vaguely. "Especially if you're learning from Neliel. Espada aren't given a rank based on their looks, ya know? I mean, look at Barragan." Cirucci giggled at her own joke, before staring at Grimmjow.

"I just hope," she drawled slowly, "that she doesn't beat that pretty face of yours up too much."

With that, she danced out the door, giggling in delight at the look on Grimmjow's face, which had contorted with anger. He fumed for a while, his reiastu sparking all over the place, before he let it go, and resumed looking out the window.

"She's right. The view is nice." thought Grimmjow, staring out over the endless dunes of desert sand, flexing his hands outward as he felt the night air around him. Then he looked up, and saw that far, far above his head, a light shone out of the top of the tower, where he could hear faint screeching and thudding from what he assumed was Neliel's room.

"The view is nice. But it could be higher up."

____________

* * *

______

Another chapter of much explanation.. hopefully next chapter I can focus more on Grimmjow and Neliel as opposed to **EVERYTHING ELSE. Sheesh**. Feel free to leave a review; your kindness makes my day :)

Thanks!

**_~Gracie_**

**6/4/10**


	3. Chapter 3

Ahhh. Another chapter. Good grief! Holidays are the best thing ever, just to put it out there. Also, a big thanks to all of you who left me all those kind reviews! It makes me really happy that the feedback for this story has been so far positive :D

Anyway, enjoy this latest installment!

* * *

She was running. Manical laughter exploded behind her as she ran, sending chills up her spine. Her breath started to come shorter and shorter as her legs became heavier and heavier, the laughter growing louder with each passing moment.

"Why're you runnin' away, ya' bitch? Let's have some fun!"

Her legs gave way, and she fell to the floor, gasping for air. She could feel the sickening reiatsu gaining on her, and feebly she tried to crawl away.

"No.. leave me alone..."

Purple eyes suddenly appeared before her own as she fell back, screaming. Cold, clammy hands slid up her cheeks, grabbing her hair and dragging her towards the nightmarish face as she frantically struggled to get away.

"No, stop!" Neliel cried as her hands were pinned to the cold ground beneath her, her body feeling more and more immobile as it became rooted to the ground. A long, slimy tongue appeared in her vision and she felt her stomach roll over in disgust, the Number 8 tattoo glaring at her and sending her into another fit of panic.

"I've caught you." declared the leering voice, white teeth flashing in triumph as the freezing, cold tongue ran up the side of Neliel's face, causing her to cry out in pain as it scalded her skin. She began to hyperventilate, fear over running her mind as she realised that she was powerless in the hands of her enemy. Laughter cackled all around her as the scene faded, leaving Neliel standing before a pile of rubble, her chest heaving and her eyes widening in shock as she recognised the familiar scene.

And then he was there. Crawling from the rubble, sickening, black blood pouring from his eye, nose, and mouth. His tongue lolled in his mouth in a disgusting manner as he crawled across the floor towards Neliel, slowly, leaving a trail of black blood behind. Her body was frozen to the ground, and she couldn't move an inch away from the disgusting creature that dragged its mangled body slowly toward her. An inch before he reached her, he stopped, looking Neliel dead in the eye's with his own, purple pupil.

_"No matter how hard you pretend to act otherwise, you're just like the rest of us. An absolute monster." _

And then he grabbed her leg.

* * *

Neliel woke to the sound of screaming. After a brief moment of confusion and stress, she realised that the screaming was her own, and promptly shut her mouth, the scream dying in her throat as she recovered her breath and sat up in her bed.

_A dream. It was just a dream. _

Covering her face with her hands, she groaned in disgust before rolling out of her bed, attempting to shake off the goosebumps and the bad nightmare. Hands falling away from her face, Neliel looked briefly around the room. Pesche and Dondochakka had fallen asleep on the end of her bed again, their hearty snores indicating that Neliel's screaming hadn't fazed them in the least of their deep sleep. The sky of Hueco Mundo was a calm, relaxing dark blue, and a light breeze blew in through the window. Stepping quietly over the mess of her room and leaping lightly onto the windowsill, Neliel took up her favourite sitting position; one leg bent for her chin to rest on and her arms to wrap around, the other leg hanging over the side of the window sill and out into the open air, her back resting up against the wall. Her wild, green hair fell down her back as she rubbed her sleepy eyes, her hand trailing softly down the side of her cheek where it had been scalded in her dream, before shuddering lightly.

"Oi."

Neliel's eyes widened in suprise as she lost her balance, her mouth forming a small 'O' as she tottered precariously on the side of her window sill.

"Ahh.. AHHH!!" she yelled, gravity over coming her body as she fell backwards off of the window ledge, time seeming to slow down as her wide eyes whipped up to see a blur of blue appear beside her. A strong arm grasped her delicate wrist, stopping her fall and jerking her upwards toward the spot from which she had fallen. Another arm grabbed her waist as it hauled her inside the room, and Grimmjow's face came into close focus as Neliel flailed towards him.

"Look out!!" she cried, but Grimmjow had already tripped over the small table beside the window, his eyes widening in surprise as he fell over backwards, dragging Neliel with him as the two fell on top of the piece of furniture with a huge crash. A moment passed before anything was said; Neliel slowly opened her eyes, her mind trying to comprehend what had just happened, when she felt blue hair poking her in the face. Confused, she brushed the hair out of her eyes, before her body froze as she became extremely aware that she was lying on top of someone else in an alarmingly suggestive position.

"Ah.. umm.." she stuttered, before two, strong hands grabbed her waist and rolled her off to the side, where she fell into a pile of unwashed clothing. She watched in amazement as Grimmjow sat up straight, bits of table falling from his clothes as he turned to stare at Neliel, who quailed under his icy glare.

First, she opened her mouth and closed it, before trying to do so again and failing to speak.

Then, she gestured with her hands, before realising that she was making no sense.

Finally, she took a deep breath and exhaled, before looking the teal haired Espada in the eyes sternly.

"What were you doing in my room?" she asked quietly, straightening her clothes and trying to appear indifferent to the absurd situation. Grimmjow looked away, a strange expression on his face as he formulated his next sentence.

"I wasn't in your room, dumbass. I was on the roof." Neliel's mouth fell open as she felt a flush of embarrassment flood her face, turning it red.

"Oh. Why?" she asked in a nonplussed manner, turning away and looking everywhere else other than Grimmjow's face as the Arrancar stood up, cracking his fingers and looking around the room.

"I've never seen the desert from so high up before. I was enjoying it until you fell out of the window and ruined it." he stated, before stepping out onto the window ledge and looking at the sky. Neliel was about to retort by saying that it was infact _his _fault for surprising her out of the blue like that, when she noticed that he was wearing a new, white uniform, which consisted of a hakama and black sash, and what Neliel deemed to be quite a ragged white jacket with an upturned collar. She felt heat rise into her cheeks when she realised that Grimmjow had caught her looking at him, and turned her head away.

"I will meet you in the training room in half an hour." she said, before standing up and brushing the dust off of her white night clothes, before turning towards the door. She felt a rush of air, and looked around to stare at the now empty window ledge. Neliel turned to her bed, where her Fraccion were still miraculously sleeping despite all the noise. After a few moments of regaining her composure, a devious smile crawled across Neliel's face as she took a flying leap onto the bed, squashing her friends.

"Pesche! Dondochakka! It's time to get up, time to get up!!"

"Eeeehhh??!! What's going on?!"

"You're standin' on my head, don'tcha know!!"

* * *

Grimmjow sat on his bed as he thought about what had just happened. First of all, his new teacher was a complete and utter klutz. He wasn't aware of how he was supposed to learn anything from the ditzy girl, and wondered briefly if he couldn't teach himself to fight with a sword faster than she could. Secondly, he thought, was that if he was going to be woken up by a scream every morning, then he and the woman were going to have a problem. Sighing in exasperation, the teal haired Espada lay down on the massive, double bed in the middle of his room. After spending a few moments of stillness, he rolled off of it in disgust, and settled for leaning against the bed post.

Closing his eyes, his thoughts ran back to the screams that had awoken him in the early morning, and the name that had pierced the night air.

_Nnoitra._

Goosebumps appeared on his arms, the air feeling a little colder as he recalled the name of what he believed was the 8th Espada's. Confusion entered his thoughts as Grimmjow attempted to solve an unknown puzzle in his mind, his curiosity digging through several ideas and conclusions.

"Che." he muttered eventually as he let the little mystery slide. The last thing he wanted to do was become involved with anyone in any way, and Grimmjow decided that he couldn't care less for the Tercera's little secret at all. To him, she didn't matter in the least; all he had to do was learn what she had to teach him and be done with it. Moving his muscled arms behind his head and stretching his body, he jumped up and walked over to the door, but stopped, looking behind at his window.

The cold moon of Hueco Mundo shone brightly back at him, and a sense of relief filled Grimmjow as he looked out over the desert.

_No more running. From now on, I work to become more powerful. I will be king._

* * *

"Straighten your arms when you punch. If you don't keep a straight wrist, you'll break it. Like this."

Neliel shifted her weight to the back of her feet, before lunging forward with her hips and throwing her arm out in a smooth, fluid motion, snapping her fist out and straight back to her face.

"Now you try."

Grimmjow squinted his eyes in irritation as he copied the Tercera's movement; after about one hour of punches, the golden eyed Arrancar deemed the technique "satisfactory", and moved on to the next move. The two had been training in the North Tower's training room, which was a large and spacious area with highly durable protection spells on the walls and roof. The sand was cool yet hard, which was "perfect for conditioning" according to Neliel.

As the day went on, Grimmjow was becoming more and more irritated with the slow progress. Finally, when Neliel began demonstrating how to kick properly, Grimmjow let out a sigh of frustration. Neliel stared at him calmly, her golden eyes searching his sharp blue ones.

"Something wrong, Jaegerjaques?" The blue haired man in question turned to glare at her.

"This is tedious and boring. How in fuck's name will I ever become more powerful with this pain in the ass basic training?!" he snarled, anger clouding his features. Neliel simply sighed at him and gestured with her hand.

"Sit down, Grimmjow."

The anger was replaced by confusion and surprise as the teal haired Espada heard his first name called, watching as Neliel cross her legs and plop down onto the sand.

"What?"

Neliel looked at him, her light voice calm and steady. "I said sit down. Go on, sit."

After a moment of trying to decipher whether the woman was serious or not, Grimmjow sighed in irritation and plopped down onto the sand in front of Neliel with a light _thud_. After readjusting his position until he was comfortable, he stared moodily at the green haired Arrancar, and waited. She looked him seriously in the eyes, before she started to speak.

"Everyone has to start somewhere. It doesn't matter how powerful or weak they are, but if one does not know the basics, one cannot advance. This may seem tedious now, but if I am going to train you then I will do it my way. Do you understand?"

Grimmjow considered her for a moment, before a look of determination crossed his face.

"Fight me."

Neliel didn't even bat an eyelid as she responded with a firm,

"No."

Grimmjow glared icily at her before he jumped to his feet, standing stubbornly like a wronged child in front on her.

"If you don't fight me, then I won't respect you, and we aren't going to get anywhere. I need to know that whomever I'm learning from is good, damnit!" he yelled, readying himself into a fighting stance. "So fight me!"

Neliel considered the Arrancar before her, and a moment of silence passed as she decided what she should do. Finally, she stood up, and reached for something out of her pocket. Grimmjow glanced to her hand curiously, his eyes narrowing in disappointment when she pulled out a book.

"If you can take this book from my hands, then I will fight you sword to sword. If not, then you will continue training with me without any further complaint. What do you say?" she asked softly, looking Grimmjow in the eyes. The Arrancar studied her for a moment, before smirking, and then grinning hugely.

"Okay," he said in a sadistic tone, "we have a deal."

Then he lunged at her.

Neliel stepped lightly to the side as she picked out the page from which she had left off, and began reading as Grimmjow wheeled in surprise.

"Come now, see if you can get my book before I finish this chapter." quipped Neliel coolly as she turned the page, her eyes focusing on the letters in front of her. Grimmjow's eye twitched in irritation.

"Are you mocking me? God damnit-" he lunged for the book again, his eyes widening in surprise as Neliel leapt lightly off of the sandy floor, her feet using his shoulders as a foothold before propelling herself up into the air and sending Grimmjow crashing into the ground.

This continued for a while; Grimmjow lunged, kicked, punched and threw himself at Neliel, to which she merely stepped from side to side, occasionally reaching out and throwing him in the opposite direction.

"You're being too rash. Stop running in head first and try to exploit my openings instead. That way, you'll have a better chance at suprising your enemy." lectured Neliel as she dodged Grimmjow's kick and countered with a backward round house kick of her own, sending him flying across the floor. Grimmjow seethed with anger as he ran around Neliel's side and propelled himself off of the wall, his hand reaching out for the book in her hands. And then she disappeared.

"Wha-?" he uttered, his head whipping around in time to see Neliel's figure come swooping from behind, backfisting him in the face and sending him flying out the door of the training room. Grimmjow gritted his teeth against the sand as he watched the green haired Espada walk towards him, her eyes still focused on the book. She read a few more lines, before she snapped the book shut, focusing her gaze on Grimmjow's own frustrated one.

"Chapter's up," she said softly, "you lose."

* * *

"Look at that pathetic lump of meat getting his ass handed to him." drawled a deep voice in disgust.

"How insulting it is that he is ranked above us!" replied a shrill, high voice. A tall Arrancar with an odd, tube like head looked out of one of the many vast towers of Las Noches toward the Northern Towers, and watched as Neliel instructed a rather subdued Grimmjow in the art of fighting.

"I find it massively insulting of Aizen to do such a thing to us. Perhaps he has doubt in our unlimited power?" commented the deeper voice softly as the Arrancar moved away, gloved hands folded over one another.

"Perhaps," replied the high voice, "we must take matters into our own hands."

"Yes. That seems like a perfect solution to me."

* * *

The plot... thickens?! Oh my god.

Feel free to leave me a review!

**_~Gracie_**

**8/4/10**


	4. Chapter 4

CHARAGAHH!!! Here is the 4th installment of Feral Hearts! This is me, trying to shed some more love on the couple that is Grimmjow and Neliel.

I was going to reply to your reviews, but then I realised that, after the second time, it might become creepy and annoying. But you're all so kind!!! Thank you ever so much, and please enjoy the newest chapter!

_Disclaimer; I do not own Bleach._

**Yes there are spoilers. **When can I stop typing that? People must have realised from the first 3 chapters already. Ahhh!

* * *

"Hey there, you're dropping your shoulder, don'tcha know??"

"You're going to break your leg if you keep kicking like that! Neliel, tell him he's going to break his leg!!"

"Shut up!!" snarled Grimmjow, as he glared at the two Arrancar that sat by the stairwell, watching as he sparred with Neliel. He felt the wind whistle by his ear, and threw his leg up to counter Neliel's hook punch, the two limbs connecting with a loud crack. It had been a month since they had started training in hand to hand combat, and Grimmjow was becoming more and more used to adjusting the spirit particles around a certain area on his body, making the skin there become extremely dense and hard. Hierro was a painful technique to learn, but the more he used it, the easier it became to counter Neliel's fast and painful attacks with his own. Her two Fraccion, Pesche and Dondochakka, were constantly there to spectate the training and hand out unhelpful and vague tips, which irritated Grimmjow to no ends. The two had been sparring for a near hour now, and were beginning to fatigue as they lunged at each other, trading blows and wincing in pain as they whistled past one another.

Narrowing his eyes, he searched for an opening in Neliel's impassable defense. As she swung her right leg out to kick him in the stomach, Grimmjow jumped up, his hands resting on her still moving leg as he brought his own leg down on top of her shoulder. Neliel's eyes widened as she brought her arms up and defended the blow, the echoing crack of their Hierro enhanced limbs ringing throughout the training room. Springing back off of her leg and over her head, Grimmjow's body whipped around in a smooth arc as he again kicked at Neliel's head, who defended by bringing her leg up to crash against his own.

_There._

Lunging forward, Grimmjow grabbed Neliel by the shoulders, using her unstable position to disbalance her and drive her into the ground, pinning her to the sand with his body. The two lay there, tangled up in each others limbs as they gasped for breath. If the two were not completely exhausted and well spent, they might have lunged away from each other's contact. Instead, Neliel's head rested against Grimmjow's chest, with his arms and legs falling over her own, the rest of their bodies intertwined from the messy fall. After a while, Neliel finally summoned enough strength to climb out from underneath Grimmjow's body, who rolled off to the other side of her with a huff.

"Well done." she gasped, as she motioned for her Fraccion. Pesche ran over with two pitchers of water, with Dondochakka close behind. Grabbing one of the pitchers, she handed it to Grimmjow, who grunted in response as he took a deep swig from it. Neliel took the other one for herself and the two sat there, breathless, drinking the water. Finally, Neliel looked over at Grimmjow, who was staring vacantly at the ground with an odd look on his face.

"Grimmjow." The Arrancar looked up and met Neliel's gaze questionably, too tired to even frown at the girl as he stared at her.

"What?"

Neliel stood up and brushed the hair out of her face, stretching her limbs before replying.

"That's enough for today. I'll come by in the morning and get you myself; there's someone who is going to train you for a week or two under my supervision." she said as she yawned, before walking over to the stairwell. Grimmjow's eyes sparked with curiosity at this news.

"What's going on?" he called out after her. Neliel turned around, and Grimmjow was taken aback by the sudden playfulness that lit up her features.

"You'll be learning Cero. You know, blowing things up and what not."

Grimmjow stared at the girl blankly. Neliel stared back at him, and an awkward silence was initiated between the two. Grimmjow scratched the back of his head in a subdued manner, before looking his teacher in the eye.

"How come you're not teachin' me?" he asked blankly. Neliel was taken aback slightly by the uncertain edge in Grimmjow's voice, before shrugging her shoulders and smiling.

"Because I've never taught anyone how to shoot a Cero in my life. I figured I'd ask my old teacher to show you, instead. But I must warn you of something." she said, her tone becoming serious and her smile fading, "he does not tolerate rash behaviour. I know that you're extremely impatient when it comes to learning new things; don't give me that look, you are. But if you want to keep your head intact, then you're going to have to bear with it. Okay?" Neliel looked at Grimmjow sternly, who glared back in response. Finally, after a moment of consideration, he stood up and stretched his back, yawning.

"Fine."

Neliel smiled lightly as she walked up the stairs, Pesche and Dondochakka's voices fading as she recalled a strange memory, one that she was sure she would never forget..

* * *

She sat outside in the desert of Hueco Mundo, wiping the tears from her face as dejection flooded her emotions.

_I am a failure._

Stretching her arm, Neliel tried desperately to feel a gathering of spirit particles, even going as far as to swing the limb around a few times and shaking her hand vigourously. But nothing happened. Not even the smallest of lights could reassure her that a power was there, and that all she had to do was unlock it. Sniffling, she burrowed her face into her hands in frustration, tears glistening down her cheeks as she realised more and more that she must be a failed creation.

"What are you doing?"

Neliel's eyes widened in shock as she whipped her head around to see a small, slender Arrancar standing beside her. His black hair was spiky and long, with matching dark eyebrows that sat atop his dull green eyes. Green marks ran like tear drops down his porcelain white face, and his upper lip was coloured black, declining in an emotionless way. His Hollow mask sat atop the left hand side of his head in a helmet like fashion, with one ear like horn jutting out of the helmets side. Neliel rubbed the tears from her eyes and sat up straight, her golden eyes looking into the Arrancar's green ones.

"Why are you out here, Ulquiorra?" she asked softly as the Arrancar looked out at the desert in a bored, emotionless way. He did not say anything at first, and instead seemed content to look out at the constantly shifting sand, the moon shining brightly from the midnight blue sky and illuminating the white dunes. After a while, he walked lightly over to Neliel, and promptly sat down delicately in front of her, much to the green hared girl's surprise.

"Normally I would disregard your pitiful actions and ignore this situation altogether," began Ulquiorra in a dead, lifeless tone as he stared into Neliel's wide eyes, "but it is somewhat embarrassing to have an Espada of your level incapable of shooting even the most basic of Cero. Give me your hands."

Stunned, Neliel held out her tanned hands to the male Arrancar, who delicately took them into his own white ones. Closing his eyes, he remained this way for a few moments, whilst Neliel suppressed the urge to ask him what he was doing. As if reading her thoughts, Ulquiorra opened his eyes and looked at Neliel in a bored manner.

"I am reading your spirit particles. As I expected, you have no reading in your hands, which is where a majority of Hollow based creations fire their Cero. Now I am going to explore the next most common area."

With that, Ulquiorra shifted forward, and placed both his hands gently on Neliel's throat, who stiffened in shock. She watched Ulquiorra's face with interest, and was surprised to see that his eyebrows were furrowing into a frown. Finally, the Arrancar opened his green eyes, and looked steadily at Neliel.

"Well, this is unique. You appear to have two patterns of Cero related spirit particles in your throat area. If I were to make a hypothesis, I would guess that this means you can both fire your own Cero from your throat and.." he trailed off, looking somewhat odd. Neliel caught the vacant expression in Ulquiorra's face, and quietly cleared her throat.

"And what?" she pressed gently. The Arrancar's eyes snapped back to her own, blinking once as he regained his focus.

"And consume an oncoming Cero. Allow me to conduct a small experiment." Neliel swallowed nervously, but gave Ulquiorra her consent.

"O-okay."

A small, green light began to form on Ulquiorra's finger, and he held it up in front of Neliel's face, who flinched away instinctively.

"I will not shoot this at you. I am merely going to hold this in front of your mouth, and see if anything happens." he explained blankly as he moved his finger towards Neliel. She watched the Cero nervously as it burned in front of her.

And then something happened.

The Cero began to pull away from Ulquiorra's finger, who raised his eyebrows slightly in interest. Acting on instinct, Neliel opened her mouth, and began to inhale the oncoming cero. It burned down her throat, but it felt natural, which promptly triggered some forgotten power. Facing away from Ulquiorra, she jumped up, opening her mouth as a significantly large Cero erupted from her mouth, shooting into the deserts dunes with a massive roar. After the dust had settled down, Neliel turned to Ulquiorra, awe and surprise sparkling in her now bright eyes. The black haired Arrancar considered her for a moment, before standing up and walking towards her.

"Let us try that again."

* * *

Cirucci Sanderwicci strutted down the halls of Las Noches, her eyes downcast as her feet made a soft _pad _with each foot step that they took. A number of emotions were racing through her mind; anger, confusion, but most of all, _fear_. She felt her hands beginning to shake as she walked onwards, and gritted her teeth as she clenched them into fists. As she walked on, she felt a familiar reiatsu radiating from farther down the hall, causing her eyebrows to knot together in disgust. She considered turning around in her path and walking the other way, but realised that she didn't really care if she had to interact with _that _Espada after all. After another 5 minutes of walking, she slowed down, and met the gaze of the other Espada.

"Why, good evening Miss Sanderwicci. We haven't seen you in a long time." said the handsome man that stood before her. His hair was dark and spiky, and his face was strong and handsome, with aqua green eyes staring into Cirucci's own purple ones. Cirucci glared in response to the Arrancar.

"Aaroniero Arruruerie. Why are you stalking around these hallways in that get up? Feeling a bit hungry, no?" she asked coldly, to which Aaroniero shrugged his shoulders.

"We like this face. We can fool any of the Arrancar and Hollow that come our way, so it's quite convinient. Well, almost all." he responded, looking back at Cirucci with a certain cunning in his features. "It's not like you to talk to us, or anyone for that matter, Miss Sanderwicci. Could something be troubling you?"

Cirucci's mouth twitched in annoyance as she heard the fake concern in Aaeroniero's tone, and stormed away from the deceptive Arrancar.

"Or could it be," continued Aaroniero softly, "that a certain blue haired Espada is starting to worry you?" Cirucci's eyes widened as she turned on her heel, glaring at the Arrancar.

"What did you say?" she hissed quietly, her hand on the hilt of her zanpakuto as she took up a defensive fighting stance. The dark haired man chuckled quietly, holding his hands up in surrender as he walked over to the angered woman.

"Now now, there's no need to be like that. We could sense his spiritual power from day one; it tasted.. delicious." he commented nonchalantly, causing Cirucci to frown in disgust. Aaroniero stopped in front of her, and Cirucci then noticed that he was barely a meter away from herself. Stepping away from him, her eyes widened in surprise as she felt her back hit a wall, and glared icily as she realised that she had been cornered. Growling defensively, Cirucci grabbed for her sword hilt again.

"If you take one more step-"

He moved so fast that she couldn't even see his hands as they pinned her own to the wall. Crying out in surprise, Cirucci froze when she felt his hot breath on her neck, sending goosebumps down her arms and legs as she watched the space in front of her vaguely, her pulse pumping madly as fear and adrenaline coursed through her body.

"We have a proposition for you, Cirucci. Regarding the 9th Espada." Aaroniero's face drew up level with her own, his aqua eyes staring intensely into her own. Cirucci felt her body go limp in defeat as she lowered her eyes shamefully to her feet, anger and humiliation clouding her mind. She was intensely aware of his body pressed against her own, and mentally wretched in disgust as she imagined his true form, inches away from her own body. But then she thought of Grimmjow. That seemingly hopeless Espada held a power that grew day by day, rivalling her own. She knew that if things continued as they were, Grimmjow would eventually surpass her, threatening her position in the Espada's ranks. She looked up into Aaeroniero's waiting eyes, a question forming on her lips.

"What's in it for me?"

Aaroniero smiled gently, before grinning, baring his white teeth. Purple- grey tentacles wriggled in between them, and Cirucci had to clench her mouth shut to keep from gagging as one tentacle slide out of his eye socket, hovering milimetres from her own face.

"Fancy a kiss?" he asked, leaning closer to the other woman, who wrenched her head to the side as far as she could. She gasped in fear as she felt Aaroniero's tongue on her neck, followed by the other tentacles, and cried out in disgust. She struggled away from Aaroniero, and panic over rode her as she realised that she could not possibly escape his iron grip. Finally, she faced him, grimacing at his disgusting face.

"Alright! I'm listening."

Aaroniero stopped, leaning away from the woman, but grasping her wrists tighter, a manic smile forming across his face.

"Excellent. Come with us, Miss Sanderwicci."

* * *

Oh lawdy, Aaroniero gettin' a bit 'giggity' with Cirucci there. The plot.. thickens?? OH MY GOD.

Please feel free to leave a review, and I thank you for your kindness. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

**_~Gracie_**

**10/4/10**


	5. Chapter 5

Hello all! I'd just like to thank you all very much for the lovely reviews you left on my last chapter; I was having a bit of trouble writing this one out simply because I had to make developments and what not. But here it is at last!

And thanks to Alleluia _Elizabeth_ for the longest review EVAR! Hahaha, I just had to put it out there, cause it was pretty long and awesome. (That's what she said? OOOOHHH DAYYUUUUM)

Ahem.

Okay, so here we go.

_Disclaimer; I do not own Bleach. _D:

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Moonlight shone in through the window of the 9th Espada's living quarters. It cast a silver glow throughout the room, outlining a figure that was curled up in the middle of a large double bed, fast asleep. Unbeknownst to the sleeping figure of Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, the watchful golden eyes of one Neliel were gazing at him with a vague fascination as she leaned lightly against the door frame, one gloved hand resting delicately against her tanned cheek. The teal haired Espada groaned in his sleep as he rolled over, his face uncrumpled as he breathed in and out slowly. Neliel watched her pupil with interest, and observed his features as he slept with a sense of endearment.

Just before, the green haired girl had felt a swing of wild motivation to wake Grimmjow up and take him training before Ulquiorra began teaching the feral Espada (however begrudgingly). But as she had walked into the 9th Espada's room, she couldn't help but watch him sleep with an innocent interest, observing the way his wild, blue hair spiked out in all different directions as he rolled over, a look of content on his face. Large, muscular arms, sprawled out in front of the man, and Neliel traced the planes of his chest with her eyes, amazed at how beautifully shaped he was.

And then he opened his sharp, blue eyes. Neliel blinked, and realised she was looking into Grimmjow's confused eyes as he sat up, scratching the back of his head in a puzzled manner.

"What're you doin' in here?" he asked roughly, his voice still husky from sleep. Neliel's eyes widened as she stepped back in surprise.

Oh jesus. He was looking at her expectantly, as the beginnings of a frown started to crease across his forehead as obvious irritation formed across his features. Neliel cleared her throat, before walking into the room casually, grabbing Grimmjow's jacket off of the ground and throwing it to him.

"We're going out into the desert. I was going to wake you up so we could do a bit of training before Ulquiorra arrived." she replied smoothly as she jumped up onto the window ledge, looking out at the dark sky as she felt the cool breeze blowing against her face gently. Silence rang through the room, and Neliel could picture the stupid expression on Grimmjow's face as he no doubt formulated several questions in his mind. She exhaled lightly, before turning to him, her face blank.

"Of course, if you don't _want _to train, then we can just..." she trailed off, stopping dead. Grimmjow was standing with his back to her, completely unclothed as he rustled around for his hakama. Neliel found herself going red as she stared shamelessly at his naked, muscled back, his strong arms rippling with muscles that seemed to shape his body perfectly. Grimmjow was lean, but definitely not of small build; his broad shoulders were proof of that. Noticing Neliel's sudden silence, Grimmjow looked up and saw the girl looking at him, her eyes wide and her cheeks red. A brief silence echoed between the two, and Neliel mentally flinched, waiting for the teal haired Espada's cold reaction and anger. Much to her surprise, a coy smile broke across his face as he grinned confidently at Neliel.

"Like what you see?"

All anxiety faded from Neliel as her eyes narrowed in Grimmjow's direction. She picked up a nearby rock off of the window ledge and pelted it at his shoulder, smiling with satisfaction as she heard his pained hiss echo through the room.

"Come on, let's go."

With that, she leapt gracefully off of the window ledge, her blood pounding with exhiliration as she flew through the air, her hair whipping around her face as she enjoyed the free fall. Before she hit the ground, Neliel gathered the spirit particles around the soles of her feet as she slide down towards the ground, landing with a graceful leap as she made contact with the desert's cold sand, her pulse pumping from the adreneline. A few moments later, Neliel heard a not so graceful _thud _as Grimmjow hit the earth, and watched in amusement as he staggered around in an attempt to regain his balance, before failing and falling backwards over the sand, his feet flying up as he rolled down the sand dune. Neliel watched his wide eyes and comical landing calmly, before a smile broke across her face and she giggled.

Grimmjow looked up at the foreign sound, his eyebrows furrowing quizzically as he watched the Tercera Espada break out into a fit of laughter, her green hair falling over her face as she doubled over with the effort of her amusement. Grimmjow stood up stiffly, shaking off his clothes, and was about to snap at his superior when he saw the smile on her face.

She was like a whole different being when she laughed. The usually calm, reserved and modest Neliel who would sometimes offer a small, wary smile was now crying with laughter, her golden hazel eyes squinted shut as tears formed at the sides of their lids, her mouth falling open to reveal her straight white teeth, and her face decorated with a beautiful flush of scarlet as she gasped for breath, before falling backwards onto the sand and lying there, her body shaking with convulsions of giggling. Grimmjow felt his frown fade away, his eyes losing their defensive, icy stare as he regarded the Espada before him, before shaking his head and sighing at the ludicrousness of the situation.

"Shuddap. You make it look a lot easier than it actually is, ya' know." he stated gruffly as he walked towards Neliel, whose smile still remained although her laughter had died away. She looked up in surprise as Grimmjow offered her his hand, regarding it somewhat cautiously before taking it with her own, smaller hand. He lifted her up effortlessly, and for a brief moment their hands were intertwined, and Neliel felt her pulse beating faster than it usually did, as she looked into Grimmjow's impossibly blue eyes. But the moment ended as quickly as it had begun as their hands fell away from each other, an awkward silence passing over the two as Neliel felt a bout of embarrassment flood her emotions. Regaining her composure quickly, she smiled at Grimmjow, before knocking him on the head gently with her fist. His eyes widened at the somewhat affectionate gesture, and Grimmjow felt a foreign pang of nostalgia from within the depths of his mind as he looked at the endearing smile of Neliel, before he exhaled briefly, looking sullenly at the girl, who simply said,

"Practise makes perfect. Come on, let's get to it."

* * *

Small, sandal clad feet stepped over the sand in a solemn, rhythmic pattern.

_Crack._

Dull, green eyes looked up inquisitively as the sharp echo reverberated over the sand to meet his white ears.

_Crack, crack._

Reiatsu was sparking wildly all over the place, and each time a _crack _sounded, the reiatsu would solidify and thicken momentarily, before sparking off again.

_CRACK!!_

The feet stopped moving, and a slow exhalation of air sounded the presence of Ulquiorra. Solemnly spectating the source of the reiatsu, the green eyed Espada waited patiently for the two beings before him, who were by now dancing quickly around each other in a dizzying frenzy. A flash of blue appeared in the sand, and quickly faded as a blur of green danced along beside it.

_CRACK, CRACK!!!_

"What's wrong, Nel? Feelin' a bit slow today?" taunted a sly, male voice to Ulquiorra's right. A loud _CRACK _sounded, and Ulquiorra lifted his eyes to the dark sky above him as he heard a growl sound from what he assumed was the male Arrancar, before turning his head to the left to meet the amused face of the green haired Arrancar.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself, _Grimmjow._" quipped the soft, feminine voice of Neliel. Though her tone sounded somewhat serious, there was a light smile on the girls face as she walked over to Ulquiorra, a small skip in her step. Ulquiorra noted the subtle look of exhiliration on Neliel's guarded features, and allowed himself a quick look at Grimmjow's not so happy expression as he spat sand out of his mouth, before walking over to the two.

Grimmjow observed the small, green eyed Espada before him with a guarded expression, his eyes darting warily over the other man's frame. Ulquiorra regarded Grimmjow with a cold, nonchalant stare to which the teal haired Arrancar found both unnerving and irritating. The two stood there; one shamelessly sizing the other up whilst the other remained passive and neutral. Neliel blinked, and subconciously shivered, the tension of the situation growing by the second. Finally, Grimmjow huffed, deeming the other male passive for the time being.

"Grimmjow." he grunted, whilst keeping eye contact with his new tutor.

"I am Ulquiorra, 4th Espada." came the dull, lifeless reply. Another moment of silence issued between the two before Ulquiorra turned to Neliel.

"I will begin now." he told her blankly. Neliel took this to mean, "please leave", and abruptly disappeared with a buzz, appearing farther away on a white, quartz- like tree. She produced a book from her pocket and, shifting into a more comfortable position, began to read contentedly. Grimmjow looked from Neliel and back to Ulquiorra, feeling a sense of wariness settle within his instincts as he once again regarded the other Arrancar cautiously. Ulquiorra took a small breath in, exhaled, and held out his white hands.

"Give me your hands." he said, staring at Grimmjow expectantly. Blue eyes widened in surprise, and, after a moments hesitation, Grimmjow placed his tanned hands on top of Ulquiorra's own with great reluctance. The smaller Arrancar closed his dull green eyes immediately, and remained that way for a minute or so. Grimmjow, feeling increasingly more awkward by the second, looked everywhere else bar the Arrancar before him, and hoped dearly that no one else except Neliel was witnessing this absurd display. A strange smell filled Grimmjow's nose- _smoke_.

_What the fuck?_

Looking down, Grimmjow almost shouted out in surprise when he saw that his and Ulquiorra's hands were aflame with red fire. Keeping his cool, Grimmjow cleared his throat. Ulquiorra did not respond.

"Oi."

Still, there was no response. Grimmjow grunted, and lifted his hands from Ulquiorra's own. The fire disappeared instantly, and Ulquiorra opened his eyes, and Grimmjow was intruiged to see a subtle flash of annoyance cross the green eyed Espada's features.

"I did not tell you to move your hands." he stated simply. Grimmjow felt his eyebrows furrow together, and managed to hold back the urge to punch the green eyed Espada in the face.

"You're hands were on fire." he replied coolly, grabbing Ulquiorra's hand with his own. With that, a red flame appeared, and engulfed both Grimmjow and Ulquiorra's hands. The smaller Espada raised one, black eyebrow.

"I see." Looking Grimmjow in the eyes with his own green ones, Ulquiorra narrowed his eye lids slightly.

"Well then. It is evident that your Cero can be produced by your own hands.. you will almost definitely feel a vibration of spirit particles right now, considering your hand is on fire."

Grimmjow looked at his hand again. It was true that his whole arm was buzzing with a strange feeling that seemed to grow stronger in his hand. He looked at Ulquiorra, a puzzled expression on his face as he regarded the flame in his hand.

"Why's it doin' that?" he asked, his blue eyes now mesmorized by the fire.

"Because you have absolutely no control over your spirit particles when it comes to firing a Cero. The flames are only appearing now because I am the one controlling the spirit particles in your hands, where your Cero power resides." With that, Ulquiorra dropped Grimmjow's hand, and looked at him seriously.

"Hopefully, I will have you master this sooner rather than later. Beginning now."

Grimmjow felt a small smile break across his face, resolution in his eyes.

"Kay. Show me what you've got, _Ulquiorra._"

* * *

Two hours later, Neliel was still reading her book. In the distance, she could see Ulquiorra giving perfect demonstrations on how to summon spirit particles to fire a Cero, with Grimmjow copying clumsily in a begrudging manner. All in all, the two seemed to be getting along, and she had even witnessed Ulquiorra's smirk when Grimmjow burnt his face with a rocket of red light. Swearing had ensued for a minute or so, with smaller, green eyed Arrancar standing patiently beside a flailing Grimmjow, causing Neliel to hide her quiet smile behind the cover of her leather bound book. Things had settled quickly back into a routine, and Neliel was approaching the cilmax of her story.

And that was when she felt it.

The reiatsu hit her like a sickening wave, causing her head to whip around, her gaze zooming in on the distant figure who was moving on the wall of Las Noches. Her golden eyes narrowed briefly as she sighed with exasperation.

_Nnoitra._

Of course it was him. He hadn't annoyed Neliel for some weeks now, so he was bound to show up sooner or later. Turning around, Neliel realised that Ulquiorra was looking pointedly at her whilst Grimmjow's attention lay elsewhere. Neliel nodded briefly to Ulquiorra, before disappearing with a buzz.

She reappered on the white wall of Las Noches, several feet from her antagoniser.

"What are you doing here, Nnoitra?" she asked coldly. The tall Arrancar turned his head to look at her, a grin on his features.

"What'sa matter, Neliel? I come all this way to see ya', and you give me the cold shoulder. Bitch." he replied, walking over to Neliel, who stiffened defensively. Nnoitra gave her a considering look, before stopping a meter away from her.

"Last time I talked to ya', you said that you'd end me." he said with a smirk, his hand reaching up and brushing Neliel's cheek softly. The girl grimaced, slapping his hand away quickly.

"And I will, if you dare to attack me again. You obviously have nothing better to do than to waste my time." she replied icily, turning to walk away. Air whistled behind her, and Neliel's eyes widened as she quickly drew her zanpakuto, her ears filled with the crash of metal on metal. Swinging her sword swiftly, Neliel forced Nnoitra backwards, before leaping lightly away. Nnoitra's eyes were alight with bloodlust, as he ran at Neliel, his crescent shaped sword at the ready.

"If you won't fight me, I guess I'll just have to MAKE you!" he yelled, his white teeth bared with glee. Neliel felt a spark of anger erupt within her as she watched the crazed Arrancar's attempts to cleave her in half.

"Fight back, ya' bitch!! Or are you just scared that I'm more powerful than ya'? Is that why you won't fight?!" he yelled again, using his elbow and driving it into Neliel's open chest.

"Ugh!" she cried, losing her balance and tripping over the edge of the wall. Air whistled past her ears as she summoned the spirit particles to her feet, launching herself up and towards the crazed Nnoitra. Using her upper body and arms, she propelled herself into a twirl, using the energy of gravity to lash out with her leg, kicking Nnoitra in the face and sending him flying. They fell into Las Noches together through the gap in the dome, and landed with a large crash onto the yellow sands of the desert below, the blue sky producing false daylight over the area. Nnoitra regained his balance and ran at Neliel, swinging his zanpakuto viciously at her. Neliel merely jumped to the side, watching cautiously as the sand exploded where the sword had hit the earth. Nnoitra swung around quickly, swinging his sword through the air and down onto Neliel, who caught the hilt of the sword with one of her gloved hands. Nnoitra's eyes widened in shock, looking down at Neliel as she quickly repositioned her katana, enhancing her fist with Hierro before ramming it deftly into Nnoitra's stomach, sending him flying. Nnoitra's eyes narrowed into slits as he yelled out, grunting as he hit a stone pillar, the sand and building exploding simultaneously. Neliel looked over to the area where Nnoitra had been thrown, lowering her eyelids as she flexed her hand.

"Okay. We're done."

Nnoitra's face gazed up in surprise at Neliel, who resheathed her sword swiftly and turned around to walk away.

"Wait!" We're not done yet.. this's a showdown! Until the end!" he yelled out as he grasped his sword. Neliel turned around, her eyes guarded and her voice soft.

"You mean until one of us kills the other, right?" she asked softly. Nnoitra glared at her, his mouth contorted into a grimace.

"Damn right."

The green haired girl regarded him for a split second before her eyebrows furrowed with disapproval.

"Not happening. Stop trying to act like a grown up.

"What'd ya' say?!"

Neliel looked over to Nnoitra, taking in his livid expression, her own features sombre as she spoke.

"We've been transformed from humans to Hollows, becoming beasts. We regained logical minds once we became Arrancar. Those that think logically require a reason to fight but.. you lack that logic. I do not have a reason to fight you; therefore it means that I have no obligation to finish you off."

Nnoitra's face contorted with rage as he grimaced at Neliel.

"I have a reason! I hate you!!" he spat, his hands clenching into fists in the sand. Neliel considered the tall, murderous Espada before her, his eye narrowed in anger and his reiatsu sparking dangerously. After a moment, she exhaled, her eyebrows unfurrowing from their previous anger.

"That's not a reason. That's instinct." she stated as she started to walk away, her feet tapping lightly against the sand.

"You're just an animal, so I don't recognise you as a warrior. You're not someone I have to fight against. I don't feel like being burdened with taking the life of someone who's not even a warrior."

Nnoitra's eyes widened at the girl's last statement, indignation and offense clearly written all over his features. As Neliel disappeared with a buzz of reiatsu, he felt his teeth clenching together in anger as he staggered to his feet, coughing up more blood from his previous injury.

"Bitch."

* * *

Grimmjow flexed his arm, before holding it outstretched as Ulquiorra had shown him. He could feel the spirit particles gathering in his cupped hand, and knew that he was beginning to show some progress when a small, red light began to glow dimly in the palm of his hand. Ulquiorra walked over to Grimmjow, observing the small, red light with disinterest.

"At least this is a start." he said dully, before walking away. "But for now, you are dismissed. I will see you tomorrow, back out here." With that, the green eyed Espada disappeared with a buzz of reiatsu, leaving Grimmjow alone in the desert, slightly dumbfounded.

"Che." he muttered, looking out to the wall of Las Noches where Neliel had disappeared to. A strange feeling filled Grimmjow, and his stomach felt somewhat twisted. Neliel had been gone for a while now, and for some reason Grimmjow found this to be unpleasant.

_Not that I care about her. I don't get messed up with feelings or any of that shit._

Never the less, he continued to look out at the wall, his eyebrows now distinctly furrowed with a subtle edge of worry.

_You better not be in any trouble, woman._

* * *

And that's it for another chapter! Like how I incorporated the Neliel/Nnoitra flashback? Eh? Eh?

Hahaha, that part was fun to write. Please feel free to leave a review, and other than that, I hope you enjoyed!

_**~Gracie**_

**14/4/10**


	6. Chapter 6

Hellooooo everyone. Long time no see? *ducks flying knives* AHHH! I'M SORRY!

But seriously, you know how life is. I'm doing Year 12 atm, which is like death in the form of.. well, something. But finally, a new chapter has arrived! Thank you to all the readers who love this story, and I'll try with all my might to update more often!

So, enjoy! :3

* * *

Her hair cascaded down her back, the full locks enveloping her naked back. Long legs, bent at the knees, lay on the floor, a dainty hand residing on top of one of them as the other hand rested lightly against the floor, her full body twisted in a most inviting way. Golden eyes shimmered intensely, with full, pink lips twisting upwards to portray a small, seductive smile.

"Grimmjow.."

Blue eyes flew open, adjusting quickly to the darkness of the room. A sheen of sweat had covered the teal haired Arrancar's chest and forehead whilst he had dreamed, which caused the light breeze rolling through the window to chill the now awake man. Groaning, he rolled over, images of his dream still extremely vivid in his minds eye.

_Shit._

Sitting up, Grimmjow dragged a hand through his wild, blue hair, squinting his eyes shut as he attempted to banish the dream from his memory. Irritation pounded through Grimmjow's emotions as he fumbled around for his hakama, bumping into various objects in his room blindly. He didn't want to even begin pondering why he was having sexually explicit dreams about his superior, for as far as Grimmjow was concerned, love and lust alike were a dangerous weakness that he had often looked down upon. Groaning quietly, he grabbed either side of his head, screwing his eyes shut as he felt anger beginning to boil deep within himself. As he stood there in the darkness, he found his thoughts shifting back to the green haired girl who was causing such a flux in his otherwise normal routine of emotions.

Sure, she was attractive. One couldn't deny that Neliel had an amazing body; full chest, slender arms, toned stomach, small hips, rounded arse and long legs. But instead of dwelling on those parts that made the more perverted Arrancar's eyes roll back into their heads, Grimmjow found himself captivated by the way the girl acted and reacted to even the smallest of things. The way she delt with her every day conflicts with such absolute confidence gave the Tercera an aura of subtle power. Grimmjow found himself observing her whenever his thoughts drifted elsewhere, paying particularly close attention to her seemingly small range of expressions.

He had found that most of the time, her expressions were careful and calculating, able to portray her feelings without letting slip any of her guarded defense. It was when she smiled that Grimmjow felt noticeably lighter inside, which in turn aggravated him more so for experiencing such a pathetic feeling. The more time Grimmjow spet with Neliel, the more he felt his feelings regarding her shift and change. Growling lowly, Grimmjow's eyes narrowed to slits as he seethed, before pushing the woman in question out of his mind entirely.

Looking out the window, Grimmjow could see that, a mile away from Las Noches, the sand had been blown into oblivion, leaving various different craters scattered across the landscape. His training with Ulquiorra had been tedious and somewhat terrifying, especially, when his meloncholic superior randomly started firing Cero after Cero at an offguard Grimmjow, forcing him to defend with his own malfuntioning beam of death. After being burnt, blasted and pummeled to near extinction, Ulquiorra had decided that, after only a week of training, that he was done with the ruffian Espada. He had parted with Grimmjow, after shooting a massive beam of grey light which Grimmjow would later learn to be a Gran Ray Cero, blasting the blue eyed Arrancar another mile away and leaving with the words, "You can learn that yourself". Needless to say, Grimmjow now felt a desire to kill the green eyed Arrancar, and reassured himself that he would learn that powerful grey Cero and use it to blast Ulquiorra's head off.

Someday. What a beautiful day that would be.

Lost in his own malicious thoughts, Grimmjow picked up the sound of soft, low whimpering. His hearing was far more advanced than most other Espada due to his previous life as a feline predator, and deep, honed instincts detected the vibe of fear instantly. Irritated and yet undeniably interested, Grimmjow stalked out of his room, sliding past the wall and onto the staircase. The whimper echoed down the stairs, alighting Grimmjow's sense of curiosity once again as he climbed the stairs swiftly and silently. After what felt like forever, a large, white object caught Grimmjow's eye. Instantly falling back into the shadows, he searched the darkness until his eyes focused in on a tall, white door with a gothic number 6 painted on it. Exhaling, Grimmjow stealthed past the room and continued his ascent, not before noting the malicious reiatsu that was being exuded from behind the looming, white door.

It wasn't until he was nearing the Tercera Espada's door that Grimmjow caught himself, and instantly stopped.

_What the hell am I doing?_

It was obvious who was making the sounds of fear. Yet each time a new sob echoed down the staircase, Grimmjow felt sickened, his blood running cold as his feet moved faster and faster up the staircase. Finally, he arrived at the large, looming door with the black 3 painted on it. Unsure of how to advance from this point on, Grimmjow froze as he felt yet another reaitsu seep out from behind the door, and a scuffling alerted him to another presence in the room. Swiftly, he silently moved toward the door, opening it a fraction and peering inside the darkness. His eyes widened in shock as he took in what he was seeing.

"Did ya' really think I'd let you off for humiliating me like that,_ Nel?_" snarled a quiet voice from within the darkness. Neliel was lying with her back on her bed, tears streaming down her face as her arms were pinned to the headboard by a strange, glowing chain. Her clothes were askew as several marks of abuse littered her body, and deep shadows rested under her eyes, making the girl look frightened and tired. Crouching over her and leering down upon her was a tall, lanky male who wore a sickening leer on his face.

Neliel sniffed, biting her lip before her lips began moving, speaking silently. The male Arrancar's face suddenly contorted into anger, and a loud crack echoed across the room as Neliel's head flung sideways from the force of the Arrancar's fist.

"You dumb bitch," he hissed, grabbing a fistful of her hair and dragging her head upwards cruelly, emitting a small yelp from Neliel's throat, "What do ya' think ya' just said? Eh?"

Neliel's eyes narrowed to slits as she stared at her tormenter.

"Coward. You're nothing but a coward, Nnoitra."

Nnoitra seemed to shake with rage, but suddenly he closed his eyes, reopening them again and plastering another leering grin on his face.

"I'll kill you." he declared, reaching over the bed and grabbing a large, crescent shaped zanpakuto and holding the rim of it to Neliel's throat. "I'll kill you right now, ya' damn dog."

Neliel stared at Nnoitra, who grinned in victory as he watched her stare waver and tears slide down her face again.

"it's just a nightmare." she whispered to noone in particular, "It's just a nightmare.."

Neliel gagged as Nnoitra pressed the blade cruelly into her neck, looking into his sickening face before her eyes slid shut.

"Just a nightmare.."

Then a huge, roar tore through the room, and Neliel felt Nnoitra's weight lift off of herself as the room glowed a dangerous red colour. Nnoitra's screaming was the only thing she could hear, and slowly she turned her head, looking toward the door.

He was standing still, a look of pure fury fixated on his face as his hand was held outright, still glowing from the force of the Cero he had unleashed upon Nnoitra. Neliel gazed at the sight of Grimmjow Jaegerjaques standing in her doorway, a wrathful reiatsu emnating from his being. He looked at Neliel briefly, his features softening slightly, before a look of resolve masked his features. Then he disappeared.

Nnoitra only had time to look up to see Grimmjow's fist collide with his face, causing blood to run in streams from his nose and mouth. Grimmjow grabbed a fistful of Nnoitra's clothing, launching them both out of the window of Neliel's room. Grimmjow continued to attack Nnoitra relentlessly, who could barely track his movements as he felt his body breaking wherever Grimmjow's fists landed. Grabbing Nnoitra's hair, Grimmjow roared as he propelled the taller man with a sickening speed toward the ground, watching with savage amusement as he heard Nnoitra's body slam into the ground with a sickening crack. Grimmjow gathered the spirit particles around his feet, and threw himself at Nnoitra's fallen figure, slamming into his middle with his outstretched fist, watching the blood and saliva erupt from the tall, Arrancar's mouth as he gasped for air.

Grimmjow looked down on the now broken Arrancar with an ice cold look of fury as he used his foot to press Nnoitra's skull into the ground.

"B-bastard." gasped Nnoitra, looking with his one eye up at Grimmjow, who towered over him and grinned, baring his sharp teeth. "How.. dare.. y-you..". Grimmjow cracked his knuckles and his neck, before launching a kick into Nnoitra's stomach, making the Arrancar grunt in pain as he rolled several metres away.

"Let me tell ya' somethin', _Nnoitra_," snarled Grimmjow, still grinning with bloodlust, his eyes shining, "I'm not like Neliel up there. I don't let pieces of shit like _you _walk all over me." Grimmjow walked up to Nnoitra and kicked him savagely once more, watching as he flew away with the force and crashed into the ground before continuing his assault.

"The only reason I'm not gonna kill ya' tonight is because I'm waiting for Nel to crack and finish the job herself." he leered, reaching Nnoitra once more and stopping before him, kicking his sword away as he attempted to grab at it. Grimmjow's grin faded, replaced by the look of a cold blooded killer.

"If you ever so much as go near her again," he said, fury masking his usually sarcastic tone, "I will end you."

Nnoitra stared up at Grimmjow, feeling a chill run down his spin as he watched the grin slide across his face again.

"Now, let's see how many Cero's you can take before you beg for mercy." Grimmjow said with a chuckle, holding his arm outright as he watched the other Arrancar's eye widen in fear.

He left Nnoitra in the desert of Hueco Mundo barely alive, kicking him for the heck of it before he launched himself back up to Neliel's window, his blood pumping with adrenaline. When he landed on the window ledge, he felt at a loss for what he was supposed to do as he looked at Neliel's helpless figure still chained to the bed. Exhaling, he walked over to her, kneeling on the bed and inspecting the chains. Grimmjow grabbed them and tugged, before dropping them in alarm as he felt his reiatsu being sucked into the dangerous creation.

"It's a reiatsu suppressor." came the quiet voice of Neliel, and Grimmjow looked down to see a blank look covering her face. New found anger coursed through Grimmjow as he realised that Neliel had been rendered useless to defend herself against Nnoitra's assault, and that he had taken complete advantage of her.

"Bastard." he muttered, pondering whether he should go back into the desert to finish what he had started whilst looking around the room for anything that could cut the chains. Neliel looked up at his wondering face.

"Use my zanpakuto." she suggested quietly, indicating with her head. "I sleep with it under the pillow.. though that didn't help me much tonight."

Grimmjow looked at her and raised an eyebrow, before repositioning himself and sliding his hand under her pillow and grasping something solid. He pulled out the green zanpakuto of Neliel, and felt her reiatsu mingle with his own momentarily, his eyes widening. He had never realised just how _monstrous _her reaitsu really was until now. Pulling the sword from its sheath, he gazed in slight awe at the blade, breifly wondering how many lives it had taken in its time. Then he swung the blade down, cutting through the chains easily and resheathing the sword in one fluid motion. Neliel's arms fell from the headboard as she sighed, her reaitsu flowing back to her as she rubbed her now raw hands.

"Thank you," she said, looking into Grimmjow's eyes with her own golden ones, a look of sincerity in her features. "Thank you for saving me from.. that."

Grimmjow looked at the girl, noticing the red welts that covered her exposed arms and face. His hand moved towards Neliel's face, touching the tender area lightly. Neliel's eyelids fluttered as Grimmjow's calloused fingers caressed the wounded area with a surprising touch of tenderness. As if sensing he had broken out of his normal facade, Grimmjow's hand retracted quickly, looking out the window as Neliel sat up on the bed, sitting next to him. They sat side by side for a while, staring out at the moon, lost in their own thoughts. Grimmjow's gruff voice broke the silence.

"Why can't you just kill him? Why do you let him do that to you?"

Neliel looked downcast as she wrung her hands together. Grimmjow waited for her response, watching as she debated whether telling her student her secret was wise or whether to let it remain a mystery forever more. Finally, she looked at him, shame covering her features.

"Because I am terrified of him. Fear is a disgrace for any one of us Espada, and I am riddled with it." she snorted, shaking her head and looking downwards. "He's right. I'm not fit to be called a warrior if I can't even hold my sword with conviction."

Grimmjow looked at the girl and glared, angered by her weak will. "If you are willing to let that dick head convince you that you're not a warrior, than maybe you _aren't_ fit for the job." Neliel said nothing, and continued to look at her feet. Grimmjow's expression softened somewhat as he realised he wasn't telling Neliel anything she didn't already know. Reaching over with his hand in a fist, he knocked the girl gently on the head as he stood up.

"Everyone of us, be it human, shinigami or hollow.. We all have somethin' to be scared of." he said seriously, looking into Neliel's surprised face. With that, he turned to walk away. A slender hand wrapped around his wrist and Grimmjow jolted with shock, turning around to see Neliel's fear stricken face.

"Please.. could you just stay here a bit longer? He's still out there.." she drifted off, dropping Grimmjow's wrist and looking thoroughly embarrassed. Grimmjow felt a ghost of a smile creep across his face as he walked back towards Neliel, sitting back down on the edge of her bed.

"Go ta' sleep, stupid. I won't let anyone lay a finger on you." he replied gruffly, looking at her gently as he watched the relief flood across her features, feeling the knot of anxiety fade away from himself as he saw her calm down.

"Thank you. Again. Good night, Grimmjow." she said softly, before laying down on the bed and closing her eyes, the worry fading from her features. Grimmjow looked at her relaxed face and scowled.

_Idiot. I was going to watch over you, anyway._

"Night."

* * *

His breath came in sharp, shallow gasps as he felt his blood run freely from his nose and mouth, tears of pain mixed in with the sweat and grit of the sand.

_Fuck. Fuck. FUCK. I can't move. I can't MOVE, damnit!_

The roar of hollow echoed from the desert, coming closer with each second as they sensed a powerful yet weakened meal just waiting to be devoured in the desert. Nnoitra yelled in frustration, moving with painstaking slowness toward his zanpakuto, which lay a good ten metres away.

_I'm not gonna make it. I'm not gonna make it. Where the FUCK is Tesla?_

The hollow appeared from the edge of his vision. Scowling, he looked up to see the Adjuchas class Menos leering down on him, their faces savage.

"Well well, what do we have here? This one's got enough reaitsu to feed an army." said the leader of the group as he advanced towards the fallen Nnoitra, who could only glare in retaliation. The hollow stood before him, raising a clawed arm as he prepared to savage Nnoitra to death, a haunting leer fixated on it's face. Nnoitra shut his eye, bracing himself for more pain, when a scream erupted from the group of Hollow. Quickly reopening his eye, he saw that the Hollow standing before him had been torn clean in half, whilst the rest of the group fell quickly, limbs and blood splattering onto the white sand and screams echoing across the desert.

Finally, a white blur appeared before Nnoitra, who looked up to see a male Arrancar standing before him, his pink hair falling to his shoulders and yellow eyes glowing in the darkness. His hollow remains formed a pair of horned glasses that framed his face, and a small smile gave the Arrancar a relaxed yet knowledgeable look.

"Nnoitra Jiruga, Espada Number 8. My name is Szayel Aporro. I have a proposition for you."

* * *

**A/N: **Szayel makes an appearance! Good lord. How do you like that?

Anyway, reviews are appreciated, and this time I want you to leave the name of your favourite Arrancar and why he/she is your favourite! Mine is Grimmjow, because he has sharp teeth. Weird, right?

~Grackus


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer; I do not own Bleach. (D:)**

Alrighty alright, I have a LOT to answer for, I know! But this is the gist of it;

1. I am now finished Year 12 and all my final exams. Hurrah!

2. I finally have enough time to continue on with this story- I know a lot of you liked it, and for that purpose I will continue it, rather than abuse you with waiting any longer.

3. I am really sorry for that terribly awful long wait! BAD GRACKUS *slaps on wrist*

So, without further adieu, I present to you, another chapter of Feral Hearts.

**Enjoy!**

_P.s; D:_

_P.p.s; I gave you some nice fluff to make up for it **:D**_

* * *

"Looks like those kids of yours are havin' fun, eh, Aizen- sama?"

Deep, brown eyes regarded the silhouette of one Gin Ichimaru, who silver outline shone with the moon of Las Noches. He stood with his back to Aizen, his fox- like eyes regarding the desert beneath him. Always pondering.

"Are you perhaps hinting at something, Gin?"

Gin smirked as he detected the tone of lazy amusement in Aizen's voice, turning to face his master as he held up his hands in surrender.

"You've caught me."

Aizen smiled briefly, his eyes closing as he heard his subordinate walk to his side, waiting.

"Concerning our newest Espada, Jaegerjacques.. I believe he has some, how should I say it.. contacts, that could prove useful in terms of our military department."

"Assuming they aren't dead by now."

"Yes, well, I was kinda' hopin' that wouldn't be the case.."

Aizen's eyes flicked open to meet Gin's own.

"New recruits?"

Gin smiled in response. the silver shine of his hair making his face appear dark.

"It could also test how far the newbie has come, ya' know?"

Aizen nodded vaguely, turning in his chair to look out into the night desert. The moon shone pure white in the black sky, matching the shifting sands of the desert. A world of black and white. Finally, he turned back to face Gin, a flicker of interest in his eyes.

"I'll announce it at tomorrow's meeting. It's about time these Espada show us what they're made of."

* * *

Neliel stirred in her sleep, feeling warm and comfortable, yet oddly restricted. In her drowsiness she stretched, the movement causing her bones to crack satisfyingly as she rolled over to the other side, sighing contentedly. And thus a series of odd events occurred.

There was something wrapped around her waist. This wasn't new though; Dondochakka and Pesche often sprawled themselves around her in their sleep. But whatever it was- an arm, she suspected- tightened instinctively as she moved, drawing her in to a.. wall? No, it was too warm to be a wall, so it must have been-

Her eyes flew open groggily, and Neliel found herself pressed up against the ripped and half naked body of Grimmjow Jaegerjacques, her nose close to touching his own. As if sensing a disturbance, the panther like man grumbled in his sleep, his other arm snaking around her shoulders, a leg intertwining with her own as he subconciously nuzzled the girls neck. A hot flush covered the girls body as she froze, not daring to utter a word should the teal haired Espada wake up and witness this embarrassing display. She felt her eyes flutter close to the sensation of his nose and lips gently grazing her neck, and an internal battle within the girl's mind began; one side wished to melt into Grimmjow's arms and be forever more happy, whilst the other held onto any shred of self-control and respect that the girl had left.

Neliel thought she might swoon as she remembered Grimmjow's heroic rescue of the night before, and the nuzzling really wasn't helping, oh she could die happy-

Gritting her teeth, Neliel delicately rolled Grimmjow's head away to the side with her free hand, and tried to roll herself away.

Only to find that the 9th Espada was extremely strong. Neliel's eyebrows furrowed as she tried again, but the end result was that Grimmjow readjusted his position, wrapping his arms around her smaller frame and effectively trapping the distressed Tercera. Losing patience, Neliel heaved against his arms, his body, anything to get away from the teal haired Espada, and all to no avail. She was just about to try again with her full strength when her golden eyes were suddenly greeted by ice- blue ones.

"Good morning, sunshine."

Neliel felt her face burn red as her mouth fell open, gesturing with her hands. She watched as Grimmjow cocked a blue eyebrow, the ghost of a grin creasing the sides of his mouth.

"I-it was l-like this when I woke up.." she pleaded guiltily, again moving in his arms, which still held her captive. Grimmjow felt the smile curve into his lips as he watched the embarrassed green haired girl splutter.

"I'm sure you didn't hate it THAT much.. you could have moved me if you wanted to." he stated teasingly, his eyes staring into her own as she quailed. Neliel's eyes widened before she frowned, indignation surfacing.

"I didn't want to wake you up, lest you see how you molested me during the night.." she made a gesture at how their bodies were crushed together. "But I guess it's a bit late for that now."

Much to her own annoyance, Grimmjow let out a boarish laugh, realeasing Neliel from his prison of limbs.

"Can't say I minded waking up to that." he slinked out of the bed in a fluid movement, finding his jacket on the ground and slipping it on with ease, before looking back at the disgruntled Tercera.

"You should.. probably get dressed."

It was then that Neliel realised she was wearing only her undergarments, exposing a generous amount of her skin to the cocky Arrancar, and lost her cool.

"GET OUT! NOW!"

The male Arrancar smirked at Neliel, stretching his body and displaying his firm torso and broad shoulders in a show-off way, before disappearing with a buzz of sonido. Neliel lay on the bed, a sheet clutched to her chest as she trembled with embarrassment, unable to comprehend facing the blue- haired man for the rest of the day.

* * *

"Welcome, my dear Espada."

The smooth, deep voice of Aizen Sousuke flowed into the dark, chilly room of the Espada meeting hall. Grimmjow felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as Aizen's reiatsu flooded the room momentarily- an act of domination. He could tell that the other Espada felt it too; there were no sounds uttered, only the look of caution and sometimes fear in the others eyes. Grimmjow looked up from his seat between Ulquiorra and Cirucci and met Aizen's eyes for a brief moment, a feeling of resentment settling heavily in his throat. Aizen smirked, before looking out toward everyone with calm, composed features.

"We have business to settle, my swords. As you know, we have a war to fight. And we are lacking in military strength."

He conveyed the last part of his sentence with a certain air of amusement, and Grimmjow felt his teeth grit together. Aizen ignored him, continuing.

"I am sending some of you out today on a mission to find worthy recruits for our army. This, of course, means braving the sands of Hueco Mundo and returning.. alive."

From the corner of his eye, Grimmjow saw Neliel twitch, and felt his own eyes narrow. Aizen smiled, looking directly at Neliel.

"We of course know that this is no easy task. Not everyone is strong enough to make it back."

Grimmjow thought back to the Espada, Teresa, he had killed and grimaced.

_Neliel's friend. She was Neliel's friend._

"Grimmjow."

His eyes widened as he started, looking up to where Aizen was now boring into his eyes with his own brown ones, goosebumps spreading over his arms.

"What?" Grimmjow tried to keep his voice as even and level as he could, not wanting to express any fear whatsoever. Aizen's eyes narrowed slightly, amused by his bold antics.

"You will head into the desert at the conclusion of this meeting. Accompanied by your own tutor, Miss Neliel, of course. You two will be based in the Forest of Menos."

Grimmjow felt a pang of true terror shiver down his spine.

_Forest of Menos? Is he fucking INSANE?_

He looked at Neliel subtly, who met his gaze to let him know that she was thinking the same thing, before turning to look at Aizen, saying,

"Yes, my lord."

Aizen nodded briefly, looking at Ulquiorra.

"Ulquiorra, you will also be on this campaign for recruits. I want you to go north, to the mountains. There has been an.. interesting reiatsu emnating from that area."

Ulquiorra shifted next to Grimmjow as he stood up, bowing to Aizen with one hand over his heart.

"As you wish, my lord."

"Dordoni, you will head west, to the nightlands."

Dordoni bowed his head, his hands folded across his chest.

"Understood, my lord."

"And finally.. I myself, will head east, in search of a suspected Vasto Lorde."

Shock resonated throughout the room as Grimmjow felt the tension ripple across the table.

Aizen's goin' out in Hueco Mundo himself? Why wouldn't he just send one of u-

"I suspect," Aizen began, interrupting Grimmjow's thoughts, "there may be a Vasto Lorde and some other powerful Arrancars teaming together. They could prove useful for our forces."

_Vasto Lorde?_

Grimmjow looked up quickly at Neliel, whose eyes darted away from his own.

"And that is all that I wish to announce. Be ready to leave by dawn. And whatever you do," Aizen paused deliberately, emphasising his next words with a smile of hidden malice twisted into his features,

"Don't disappoint me."

* * *

Grimmjow had been lying on his back on the windowsill, looking out to the white moon of Hueco Mundo with an indifferent feeling when he felt her reiatsu enter his room.

"Are you ready, Grimmjow?"

He rolled his head to the side lazily to look at the proud, green- haired Espada that leaned against his doorway, her arms folded snugly under her breasts as she looked to the white roof. He felt his indifference turn to undeniable pleasure as he recounted the mornings happenings of when he decided to tease the Tercera by nuzzling into her soft, delicate neck, her small frame crushed to his own as she was helpless to escape his embrace-

Shaking his head and blinking a few times to clear his mind, Grimmjow grunted, straightening his jacket and felt around the room until he picked up something heavy. Neliel raised an eyebrow as Grimmjow whipped his zanpakutou from its sheave, twirling it expertly in the air before resheaving it with deadly accuracy. He looked at her somewhat surprised face and grinned.

"What? You thought I wouldn't be practising? Che." he muttered, turning his back on her and facing the window. Neliel shook her head and strolled up next to Grimmjow, her hair blowing gently with the wind.

"I'll teach you how to fight with it whilst we are gone. This mission is not going to be an easy one. There.." she stopped, looking down at her feet before continueing,

"There is a chance we may die."

Grimmjow looked at her and snorted. Neliel looked up to his face, feeling irritated.

"What? This is serious!"

The teal- haired espada merely shook his head at her, standing up on the window sill.

"You are far too serious ya' know?". It pisses me off."

Neliel said nothing, watching the desert sands roll, imagining the horrors of the Forest of Menos that lay beneath those seemingly innocent dunes. Grimmjow looked at her, and sighed with impatience, catching her arm and hoisting her ungracefully onto the windowsill.

"Hey!" Neliel started with indignation, but was cut off by Grimmjow's icy glare.

"We are not going to die. Not on a mission this easy." Grimmjow said seriously, staring into her golden eyes with new intensity. Neliel swallowed hard, before nodding her head in confidence.

"Right. No dying."

Grimmjow grinned again, rapping on her hollow helmet playfully.

"Did you say goodbye to your two idiots?" he asked casually. Neliel smirked, nodding her head as she recalled the teary and over the top farewell Dondochakka and Pesche had given her.

"I did."

Grimmjow sighed, before stretching his arms up and cracking his neck.

"Good. Now, let's catch us some Hollows."

And with that, their mission into the Forest of Menos, home to some of the most deadly and horrifying Hollows to exist, began.

* * *

**A/N;** And so, they make their way into the Forest of Menos! Dun dun duuuuun... Things take a turn for the INTERESTING.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! (Which is a lot, btw... not enough NelxGrimm stories, imo.)

And feel free to drop a review, I love me some reviews. (So does everyone else though, so WHEW)

_**~Grackus**_


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer; I do not own Bleach :B_

Hey all! I hope you had a very Merry Christmas! I celebrated the day in Aussie spirit- it is usually stinking hot every year, but this year it was nice and overcast. However it was still hot enough for some water slide fun, and now my stomach and back ache with the efforts of throwing myself on tarp and flying down a hill. :S

Here is the latest installment of Feral Hearts, and thank you for all the reviews! You are all too kind :)

**Enjoy! 3**

* * *

The first thing Nnoitra noticed when he woke up was that he was in a foreign, alien environment. Although the room he was in was dimly lit, it was white and sterile, smelling of antiseptic and dysinfectant.

The second thing he noticed was the terrible amount of pain he was in.

"Unnghhhh.."

His head throbbed with unbearable thrashes of pain, and each breath he took strained every muscle in his chest. His limbs felt beaten to the extent that his bones were surely now powder. Straining his body and gnashing his teeth, Nnoitra attempted to move into a seated position, only to find that he was securely strapped to a bench.

"The fuck..?"

Pulling at the strap, his eyes widened in alarm as he realised they were the same kind of reaitsu suppressor he had used to capture Neliel not too long ago. The memory of why he was in so much pain clicked, and he narrowed his eyes as a strangled cry of rage escaped from his throat.

"Grimmjow! That fuckin' BASTARD! AUUUUGHH!"

The pain and his own fury was too much, and he fell back onto the bench with a painful thud, breathing heavily.

_How did I get here, then?_

The last memory Nnoitra had before he blacked out was of a certain pink haired, spectacled arrancar carting him off the desert sands of Hueco Mundo and back into Las Noches..

"Nnoitra? Finally awake, I see."

The crisp, analytical voice matched the sterelized surroundings perfectly, and Nnoitra's head jolted to the side as his face contorted into a snarl.

"Who the fuck are you?"

The pink haired Arrancar frowned in disapproval, making his way to the front of the bench, stopping beside Nnoitra's head.

"You've forgotten my name already?" he asked, sounding comically disappointed. Nnoitra's eyes twitched with rage.

"I KNOW WHAT YOUR NAME IS YOU DUMB SHIT! BUT WHO THE FUCK ARE YA'?" he bellowed, thrashing against the straps in a futile attempt to break free and strangle Szayel Apporo Grantz, the infuriating Arrancar before him. Szayel bit back a smirk as he turned to his tray, picking up a needle with a clear looking liquid swirling within it, the point looking dangerously sharp. Nnoitra's thrashing stopped at once, his blood running cold.

"What the hell do ya' think you're gonna' do with that?" he asked slowly, eyeing the suspicious needle cautiously. Szayel's pink eyebrow arched as he saw the lanky Espada's reaction, placing a gloved hand over his mouth to hide his smirk.

"Something for the pain. Unless of course, you enjoy the sensation of your head splitting in two? Hmm?" he chided in response, placing the tip of the needle teasingly on Nnoitra's exposed skin, which formed goosebumps at the cold and threatening touch. Nnoitra grimaced as the needle punctured his granite like skin, a trickle of black blood oozing out as the clear liquid entered his blood stream. The relief was instantaneous, and he could not help but release a sigh as the endorphins entered his system. Szayel dropped the needle into a compact bin, placing a bandage over the small wound and removing his gloves. Nnoitra looked up at the man, his eye narrowing in suspicion.

"You said you had a proposition for me, yeah? Out in the desert." he started slowly, watching the smaller man's fluid movements throughout his workplace. Szayel nodded as he rearranged a few jars on a bench until they were in an orderly fashion.

"Indeed, I did. Are you interested?"

Nnoitra made a noise of annoyance, feeling his irritation spike.

"How can I be interested if I don't know what the fuck you're offerring me, eh? And what's with strapping me to this bench?" He struggled against the bonds again, but with less ferverancy than before as he felt his will power diminish. He was trapped and he knew it, and Szayel knew it too, but he still wanted to go down fighting. The pink haired Arrancar stopped in his rearrangements of the lab to stare at the angry man seriously.

"How do you feel about Neliel Tu, the Tercera Espada?" His voice was low and even, but deadly serious. Nnoitra's eye narrowed at the sound of her name, as he looked back into the other Arrancar's golden eyes.

"I want to rip that god damned bitch in half if it's the last thing I do. I want to see her squirm beneath my feet. I want her to SUFFER." he spat the last word out with such hatred that he was giddy for a moment, glad to rant about his nemesis. Szayel grinned at his response, walking over to the bench bound Nnoitra quickly.

"And what if I told you that I could help you get rid of her? I could make you much more powerful.." Szayel trailed off, his eyes scanning the bench before him. Nnoitra stopped being angry for a moment, considering what the man had just offered him.

"You would help me get rid of that bitch?" he asked quietly, an idea formulating in his mind. Szayel looked back to Nnoitra, a smile on his face.

"For a price."

Nnoitra sighed, his eye closing in annoyance.

"What do you want?"

The pink haired Espada chuckled, the sound off key and evil.

"I want what everyone wants. To become more powerful." he replied simply. Nnoitra considered his vague answer carefully.

"How would I be able to give you more power?" he questioned, to which Szayel spun around to face him, his features animated.

"Think about it. If we knock out the Tercera Espada, Aizen will promote us. The both of us. You'll go up a rank, and I'll be given a position as an Espada. It's a win win situation for the both of us!" he cried, his eyes lit up with madness. Nnoitra's brow furrowed, weighing his options on both hands. Finally, he re-opened his eye, a grin etched into his demonic features.

"Alright you crazy bastard. But only if you get these fuckin' straps off of me. Then, we'll talk."

Szayel's grin echoed Nnoitra's own as he picked up a large, carving knife.

"And I know just where to start."

"That's it. I'm beat."

* * *

Neliel turned her weary head to look at her blue haired accomplice, who effectively fell face down in the sand with a groan and a loud thud. It was night time in the desert of Hueco Mundo, in which they had been travelling over for a good week or so, stopping only for Grimmjow's zanpakutou training. Las Noches had disappeared on the horizon, and Neliel felt her knees give in as she felt her body hit the ground, a pained sigh escaping her own lips. Grimmjow shifted his head to look at her, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"If we're supposed to be searching the Forest of Menos.. why.. are we still up.. in this damned desert?" he panted, spitting the gritty sand out of his mouth as he forced himself into a seated position. Neliel looked at him with a tired expression, before fumbling around in her small carry pack, which housed her newest book and other Espada essentials. Grimmjow watched with interest as she produced two circular like pills that glowed a faint blue.

"Reiatsu boosters. We haven't come across one Hollow to eat yet.. which is why our energy is so low." She popped one of the pills into her mouth, swallowing it with a grimace, and threw the other one to Grimmjow, who caught it lazily. He followed her actions and swallowed the small pill. Immediately, he felt his fatigue evaporate, and although he was undoubtedly tired, he felt strong enough to form a small cero in his hand. Aiming carefully, he let it go, watching with a feeling of pleasure as it ripped a small, granite tree in half.

The past week seemed to have flown by, now that he thought about it. Grimmjow had learnt a lot from the green haired girl, and though she beat him in every single spar they shared, Neliel was pleased with the rate of progress he was making. There was even a moment of brief victory for Grimmjow, which he thought back on with a sense of smug satisfaction.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"Here I go!"

Grimmjow whipped around quickly, just in time to see Neliel's foot connect with his face. The loud crack was followed by a heaving grunt as Grimmjow flew, flipping over backwards before landing in a crouch, one arm extended into the sand to support his moving body and the other flung out behind to maintain his balance. A whip of green hair shone in the sun, and Grimmjow disappeared with a burst of sonido as Neliel crashed down where he had been a moment before. Seeing the girl's back exposed for a moment, the teal haired Espada leapt forward, flying through the air swiftly as he grabbed Neliel around the waist, sending them both forward. Surprised but not concerned, Neliel sent her body into a flip, causing Grimmjow's own weight to send him flying towards the ground below, with her in close pursuit. Just as her fist was about to connect with Grimmjow's face again, something happened that caused the girl to recoil in shock.

Grimmjow had begun glowing all over in a blue reiatsu. Although he himself hadn't noticed any change, Neliel's eyes widened as she watched his teeth sharpen, becoming much more carnivorous. The blue marking around his eyes widened and became green, and his hair seemed to have gotten shaggier, more feral. Seizing the opportunity of what merely looked like an opening, Grimmjow hit the ground and dodged Neliel's punch effortlessly, catching the girls fist and forcing her to the sand, pinning her there with a grin of triumph on his face.

"Hah!" His breathing came in short pants, and as soon as the transformations had occurred, they disappeared swiftly, leaving Neliel speechless. Grimmjow seemed to notice something was off, and paused, looking questionably down at the girls face. Neliel looked back, posing her next question cautiously.

"Did you.. did you feel any different, just now Grimmjow?"

The question caught him by surprise, but Grimmjow thought back to a few moments ago, where a sudden surge of raw power seemed to release something inside of him, something more instinctive..

"Yeah, I did." He scratched the back of his neck, before grinning, sitting triumphantly on Neliel's stomach, smirking as the girl made a disgruntled sound of discomfort.

"I must be improving. I could get used to sitting on you like this." Grimmjow cocked an eyebrow, and Neliel resisted the urge to laugh at his charms as her leg snaked out and around Grimmjow's neck, catching the teal haired Espada by surprise as she drove him swiftly into the ground, readjusting her position as she perched comfortably on his back.

"Don't get too cocky. You've improved, but nowhere near that much." she said with an air that thoroughly pissed Grimmjow off, though he had no choice but to lay where he was in the sand as the girl pulled out her book and began to read.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"Grimmjow!" Neliel hissed suddenly, her body tense. The male Arrancar laughed, waving his hand at her.

"Relax, would ya'? It's not as if a tiny explosion like that would disturb anything-"

A low, snarling growl echoed behind Grimmjow, and he froze, seeing that Neliel's widened eyes were looking past him, and not at him. Slowly, he turned around, climbing to his feet.

And then the spiritual pressure erupted.

Cringing, Grimmjow gritted his teeth as the pressure bore down on him, the sand whipping up into a deadly tornado. The mound of sand grew higher and higher, the pressure heavier and heavier, forcing Grimmjow to take a step back to bump into Neliel. Instinctively he raised an arm to shield her from the oncoming blast, his body leaning into a defensive position as a low growl escaped his throat. Neliel's eyes flickered to Grimmjow, whose body shielded her from the danger before them, and felt her heart flutter momentarily, before looking up to the large dune of sand which had finally completed itself.

"Now then, what do two morsels such as yourself think you're doing, sneaking around my sands? Mmm?" came the booming voice from the top of the sand. Grimmjow watched, slightly revolted, as the sand formed a face of black, soulless eyes and a mouth of sharp, granite teeth, a crown resting atop the new foe's head.

"None of ya' damn business. Now piss off." came Grimmjow's icy reply. Neliel suddenly reached out, grabbing his arm. The blue haired Espada turned around to look at her in suprise, but stopped dead when he saw her fear- filled eyes.

"We need to run. Now." she whispered quietly, her eyes darting back to the sand monster before them, whose features had contorted with rage.

"You dare speak to me with such insolence?" he roared, the sand whipping around his huge body.

"I, the great Runuganga, will send your pathetic little corpses into the the deepest pits of the Forest of Menos!"

With that, he brought a huge fist down on the two, who leapt quickly out of the way.

"Grimmjow!" Neliel yelled, looking at her counterpart who appeared metres away from her. He whipped his head to the side to look at her, blue eyes gleaming.

"I know!"

Neliel nodded, and the two sprang into action, reappearing next to the raging Hollow, who flinched in suprise.

"Wha-?"

Grimmjow's leg smashed into the Hollow's stomach, and Neliel drew her sword in the flash of an eye, smoothly cleaving the sand- Hollow's head off. The two landed side by side in the next instance, where Neliel quickly resheathed her sword and grabbed Grimmjow's collar, flying away with a burst of sonido. Grimmjow's voice caught in his throat- one second he was standing firmly on the ground, the next he was flying through the air at a speed that would otherwise be impossible. He started to twist in Neliel's firm grip, but was suddenly tossed onto her shoulder as the speed increased. Grimmjow felt his eye twitch at the ridiculousness of his position.

"Oi, put me down, will ya'? I can run on my own! Shit, woman, this is pissin' me off!" he ranted as Neliel flew through the desert, approaching a field of dark mountains and flying past them in the next second. Neliel frowned, her running coming to a halt, as she tossed Grimmjow ungracefully from her shoulder. He yelled out, flipping backwards and sliding down the sand on one extended hand before pushing off and landing heavily on his feet. Dusting himself off, he stomped over to where the green- haired girl stood poised on the sand, her hand on her sword hilt.

"What the fuck was that about? Why would you run off like that? Eh?" Grimmjow demanded, stepping up until he was looming over her, his hands crossed over his chest as his eyes narrowed into icy slits. Neliel said nothing, and continued to look around the sand with cautious golden eyes. Grimmjow felt a vein twitch in his head, and tapped Neliel's hollow helmet with his fist.

"HEY! I'm talkin' to you-"

"Shut up, Grimmjow."

The male arrancar felt his next words die in his mouth as he took in Neliel's serious face finally. Although still irritated, Grimmjow stopped talking with a small huff as he waited for Neliel's next move. The green- haired girl's eyes closed slowly, her breathing becoming smooth and even, before stopping altogether. Grimmjow felt the spirit particles around them condense, and they began to vibrate at a higher frequency. Startled, he stepped back, and watched as Neliel began to radiate a pink spiritual pressure. Finally, her eyes flew open, and with a yell Neliel brought her fist into the air before smashing it into the ground.

Grimmjow's eyes widened as he watched as a pool of black blood erupted from the sand, some landing on his cheek from the destruction. The ground shifted dramatically as a large hole opened in the sand, leading into dark nothingness. Neliel exhaled deeply, turning to her irritated comrade.

"Finally. This is what we've been looking for." She started toward the pit of darkness, but was stopped by a strong hand on her shoulder.

"Hang on a a sec'. You didn't answer my question before." Grimmjow's voice was cold and calm, but the powerful hand that held Neliel's shoulder gave away the teal haired Espada's true feelings at that time. A lesser Espada would never have picked it, but a slight vibration from his spirit particles indicated one, undeniable emotion.

Fear.

Neliel sighed, and turned to Grimmjow, gently taking his hand in her own. The male Arrancar's eyes widened in surprise, to which Neliel ignored.

"You wanted to know why we were travelling the desert way, Grimmjow?" A faded roar in the distance caused her golden eyes to narrow slightly, before she continued.

"I won't lie to you. The Forest of Menos is one of the most horrifying places in Hueco Mundo. If possible, I wanted to stay out of it for as long as we could.. and luckily we arrived at our destination before we were forced underground."

Grimmjow's brows furrowed together as he contemplated Neliel's words, his head in confusion.

"Forced underground? It wouldn't matter! The only Hollow underneath the forest are Gillian and Adjuchas class-"

"So what?" Neliel cut in sharply, gripping Grimmjow's hand tighter, staring into his eyes. Grimmjow felt himself flinch as her golden orbs, lit with sudden ferocity, stared into his own. Neliel continued, her voice lowering to a whisper.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten what it was like down there. Even if we are powerful now.. we remember what it was like. Why it was feared."

Grimmjow swallowed, and nodded, understanding.

"You didn't want to go in until it was necessary.. to avoid seeing it."

Neliel closed her eyes and sighed, before opening them again with a small smile on her lips.

"They call it evolution. I find that mildly amusing." she quipped dryly, turning to the gaping whole before them. Grimmjow felt the hairs on the nape of his neck rise as the first sounds of murder erupted from the forest. It was not the intimidating roars of the Hollow that sounded from the hell below the sand, but the helpless whimpers and screams of fear of those who were being ripped in half, eaten alive, by other hungry, mindless beasts. Inhaling deeply, Grimmjow's took a moment to close his eyes, before closing his mind to the shrieks of death and exhaling, his blue eyes flashing icily. He strode forward, tugging Neliel's arm gently.

"Let's go."

She nodded, and the two of them leapt nimbly into the whole, the darkness consuming them instantly.

* * *

**A/N;** Yuuuuussss I can't wait to get started on the next chapter! Plots and action and the beginnings of romance!

Also I was asked where Nnoitra was for the last Espada meeting.. Well... Yeah, he wasn't missed. By anyone. :S (but he is back again,that bastard :B)

I'll see you next time!

_P.S In your review, tell me how you celebrated Christmas.. I am interested to know! If you have any weird traditions, I'll feature it in the note at the beginning of my next chapter :3_

**~Grackus**


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